Join Our Newsletter
Blog Contact Us
Get Listed
© 2024 Herefordshire County BID

The Wye Valley

Walk, Cycle & Canoe The River Wye

  • Gorgeous spot and National Landscape 
  • The birthplace of tourism
  • Perfect for outdoor adventures
  • Abundant wildlife
  • Pretty market towns & villages 
  • Straddles England & Wales
Image
Wye Valley Boat



The Wye Valley is a rural retreat with some of the most breathtaking landscapes in Britain. As well as the dramatic scenery and wonderful wildlife that come with being a protected National Landscape, you’ll find an abundance of family-friendly outdoor adventures including cycling, kayaking and walking. In fact, it was here, in the market town of Ross-on-Wye, that tourism as we know it was invented. Over 250 years later, the lure of the Wye Valley is just as strong.

 

Explore The River Wye

Image
symonds yat

Breathtaking Views

Find your favourite look-out point! For the Wye Valley's most iconic view, head for Symonds Yat Rock to see the river meander in a huge loop, hundreds of feet below. The Prospect in Ross-on-Wye overlooks the river's horseshoe bend and out to the Welsh mountains - it was designed by the philanthropist John Kyrle who believed all residents should be able to enjoy the view. Over at Coppett Hill, near Goodrich, you can gaze across to six counties on a clear day.

Image
kerne bridge

The Mighty Wye

The River Wye is best surveyed from a canoe or Stand Up Paddleboard. Grab the gang for a half-day paddle or a guided trip.  Perhaps you would prefer a longer adventure, stopping at campsites and B&Bs as you make your way downstream. Take a refreshing dip at Kerne Bridge and book a guide if you are keen to uncover the Wye's top wild swimming spots. In the shallows, little ones can feel the surprise of cold water running over their toes. 

 

 

Image
Walking

Walking for Miles

Criss-crossed with routes, the Wye Valley invites walkers on easy ambles as well as long-distance leg-stretchers. The linear trail from Ross-on-Wye to Kerne Bridge leads through woodland that was once a hive of industry. Timber would have been transported along these tracks and you'll spot many little cottages, originally the homes of blacksmiths, carpenters, coppice-workers and wheelwrights, as well as views of Chase Wood Hillfort and Goodrich Castle.

Activities in The Wye Valley

Image
canoeing

Family frolics

Take the kids on a mini adventure in a Canadian canoe, gliding from Kerne Bridge to Symonds Yat with plenty of time for wildlife-spotting and picnicking.

Read More
Image
Hoarwithy

Walk The River Wye

Follow an idyllic three-mile loop exploring one of the River Wye's most beguiling stretches.

Read More

The Wye Valley Directory