Symonds Yat

Hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts around Symonds Yat tend to trade on one thing above all else - a view of the river. A number of small hotels and guesthouses sit directly on the banks of the Wye in both Symonds Yat East and West, several attached to the village's historic riverside pubs, putting guests within a short stroll of the hand ferries, the walking trails up to Yat Rock, and the put-in points used by local canoe hire operators. Rooms here tend to be traditional rather than boutique, reflecting the age of many of the buildings, but the setting more than makes up for it, with breakfasts often served looking straight out over the water.

Further out, country house hotels and farmhouse B&Bs are scattered through the wider Wye Valley and the fringes of the Forest of Dean, offering a quieter base a short drive from the main attractions. These tend to suit visitors touring the area more broadly, taking in Ross-on-Wye, Monmouth and the forest's cycling and walking trails alongside Symonds Yat itself. Booking ahead is worth doing for weekends between spring and autumn, when the combination of walkers, canoeists and day-trippers to Yat Rock puts real pressure on the limited number of rooms in the village itself, and parking near the more central options can be tight even for guests.

Symonds Yat punches well above its size when it comes to things to see and do, most of it centred on the river gorge and the wooded hills that hem it in.

• Symonds Yat Rock — the area's signature viewpoint, perched high above a horseshoe bend in the Wye. It has been one of the country's best-known spots for watching peregrine falcons since a pair returned to nest on the cliffs in 1982, and an RSPB viewing point with volunteers and telescopes usually operates here through the summer.
• The hand ferries — two traditional pull-yourself-across ferries still link Symonds Yat East and West, a rare survival that keeps the village feeling gloriously old-fashioned; the crossing near Ye Old Ferrie Inn is the most famous of the two.
• Canoeing and kayaking on the Wye — the river carries a public right of navigation, and local operators hire out canoes and kayaks for easy paddles between Symonds Yat and Ross-on-Wye or Monmouth, gliding beneath the cliffs and through gentle rapids.
• King Arthur's Cave — a pair of limestone caverns cut into the hillside above the village, where excavations have turned up the bones of hyena, woolly rhino and even sabre-toothed cat alongside evidence of prehistoric human occupation.
• Forest of Dean — the ancient royal forest begins almost at the doorstep, offering way-marked walking and mountain biking trails, sculpture trails and old mine workings a short drive or walk from the village.
• Yat Rock to Biblins circular walk — a popular route dropping from the viewpoint down through the woods to the Biblins suspension bridge, crossing the river before climbing back past King Arthur's Cave.
• Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo — a small tropical house near Symonds Yat West with free-flying butterflies, reptiles and insects, popular with families on a wet-weather day.

Ye Old Ferrie Inn, a 15th-century riverside pub on the eastern bank, is the village's best-known spot for a pint or a meal, with a terrace overlooking the water and the hand ferry departing from almost outside its door. Across the river, The Saracens Head Inn offers a similarly historic riverside setting, reachable by road or by flagging down the ferry, with rooms and a menu built around pub classics. Both pubs make the most of their position on the water, and a walk between the two via the hand ferry is one of the simplest, most memorable ways to spend an hour in the village.

Camping around Symonds Yat means pitching up on wooded hillsides above a gorge, with the sound of the Wye somewhere below and buzzards circling overhead. As in the rest of England, wild camping is not legal here without the landowner's express permission, so stick to licensed campsites and glamping pitches, of which the surrounding hills and the fringes of the Forest of Dean have a good spread, from simple grass pitches to more sheltered woodland spots. The terrain is steep in places - this is a limestone gorge, not flat farmland - so it is worth checking access and pitch gradient before booking, particularly for larger tents, campervans or anyone towing a caravan.

Late spring through early autumn is the most comfortable window for camping here, when the ground has dried out after winter and the long evenings suit sitting out with a view over the trees. Midsummer brings the best chance of dry, settled weather for canoeing and riverside walks, while September and early October often deliver crisp, clear days and the added bonus of the woodland turning gold, without the peak-season crowds at the main viewpoints. Winter camping is possible but conditions can turn wet and the steep, wooded paths around the gorge become slippery, so it suits only well-prepared campers.

For those who would rather skip the tent-pitching but still want to sleep among the trees, glamping has taken hold around Symonds Yat in recent years, with safari tents, shepherd's huts and pods offering a warmer, more sheltered alternative. Many sit on farms and smallholdings just outside the village, trading a short drive to the river gorge for wider views over the Wye Valley or the Forest of Dean, and most provide proper beds, heating and sometimes a wood-fired hot tub - a comfortable way to enjoy the area's scenery and wildlife without roughing it.