Symonds Yat is a village within the Forest of Dean and a popular tourist destination straddling the River Wye on the county border of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire in England. A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. The Forest of Dean is a geographical historical and cultural region in the western part of the County of Gloucestershire, England A tourist destination is a city town or other area that is dependent to a significant extent on the revenues accruing from Tourism. This article is about the river that flows along or close to the Anglo-Welsh border Constitution Herefordshire was reconstituted both as a new Non-metropolitan district (effective 19th July 1996 and as a new County comprising the area of the History See also History of Gloucestershire Gloucestershire is a historic county mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in the 10th century England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

Hand-pulled ferry over the River Wye at Symonds Yat

The view north towards Ross-on-Wye from Symonds Yat Rock

Canoeists on the top rapid on the River Wye

Symonds Yat West is on the Herefordshire side of the river and Symonds Yat East is on the Gloucestershire side. The only connection between the two banks is by two ancient hand ("pull") ferries by which for a small fee the ferryman pulls people across the river using an overhead rope. See also Merchant ship A ferry is a form of transport usually a Boat or Ship, used to carry (or ferry) passengers and The only connection by road is upstream over Huntsham bridge; this is a five mile trip.

Symonds Yat Rock is a scenic viewpoint towering 120 metres (394 feet) above the river on the Gloucestershire side. From this viewpoint it is possible, between April and August, to witness peregrine falcons nesting on the cliff side. The Peregrine Falcon ( Falco peregrinus) also known simply as the Peregrine, and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America is a Volunteers from the RSPB help visitors to use telescopes provided in a joint project with Forest Enterprise, owners of the site. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ( RSPB) is a British Charitable organisation which works to promote conservation and protection The Forestry Commission (established in 1919 is a Non-ministerial government department responsible for Forestry in Great Britain. Yat Rock is a popular location for climbers. Some of the climbs are dangerous and have cost lives so climbs need to be planned carefully. In general there are much better and safer climbs in other areas of the forest. However, the 'improvements and safety walls' have without doubt spoiled the effect and the wildness of the site.

The river at Symonds Yat has cut a deep gorge in the Carboniferous Limestone exposing many impressive cliff faces. The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian period about 359 Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 At nearby 'King Arthur's cave' on the Great Doward, there have been many important archaeological discoveries including the remains of a hyena family and Sabre-toothed Tiger bones. King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos The Hyaenidae is a Mammalian family of order Carnivora. The Hyaenidae family native to both African and Asian continents consists of four Smilodon (ˈsmаɪləˌdɒn sometimes called saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct Genus of large machairodontine Saber-toothed However, the cave has been so badly examined that the whole of the main gallery at the entrance has been removed leaving just a few small tunnels.

Popular tourist activities in the area include canoeing and kayaking down the rapids, boat trips, a maze, an oriental garden and many country pubs. Canoeing is the activity of paddling a Canoe for the purpose of recreation (also called a float trip Sport, or transportation. Kayaking is the use of a Kayak for moving across water Kayaking is generally differentiated from Canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of Symonds Yat Rapids are a grade 2 man-made feature on the River Wye, on the Gloucestershire and Herefordshire border A maze is a complex Tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route The Old Court Hotel in Symonds Yat West was the ancestral home of the Gwillim family and was home to John Graves Simcoe, who was governor and one of the founding fathers of Upper Canada. Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe ( February 25, 1752 &ndash October 26, 1806) was the first Lieutenant governor of Upper The Province of Upper Canada (French Province du Haut-Canada) was a British colony located in what is now the southern portion of the Province of Ontario

Symonds Yat was featured on the 2005 TV programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the West Country. Seven Natural Wonders was a Television series that aired on BBC Two from 3 May to 20 June 2005.

Symonds Yat Rapids

Main article: Symonds Yat Rapids

External links

• Map sources for Symonds Yat