Symonds Yat are two villages, Symonds Yat East in Gloucestershire and Symonds Yat West in Herefordshire on either side of river Wye. The river makes a U-turn in a limestone gorge and the viewpoint from the top of the rocks overlooking the gorge is magnificent. It is very popular among birdwatchers, as there are resident peregrine falcons at Symonds Yat Rock.
The name Symonds come from a 17th C sheriff of Herefordshire, who owned land in the area. Yat is an old English term for a gate or pass, referring to the limestone gorge.
Goodrich Castle, which I have described in a previous post is situated along the river Wye just a couple of miles north of Symonds Yat gorge.
My overview photos above are taken from Symonds Yat Rock, a viewpoint offering breathtaking views of the River Wye and the limestone rock that shoots out and forces the river to make a U-turn around the outcrop. The photo below here is captured from another outcrop, a few hundred metres away from the famous rock.
The two villages, Symonds Yat West and Symonds Yat East are connected via two hand-pulled ferries across the river. And as it should be in an English village there is a pub in both of the villages, where the ferry lands; one ferry for each pub. Walking south from the ferries after a couple of kilometres you come to another connection between the two sides of the river – a hang bridge for pedestrians. And here you cross from England to Wales, when you cross the river. The border between the two countries runs along the middle of the river for a while here.
