Symonds Yat East is one of my favourite places in the whole world and we visit often. It is a small hamlet on the bank of the River Wye. You can get involved in one of the many activties available, or just sit outside one of the pubs or cafes and watch the world go by.
Symonds Yat East is on the Gloucestershire side of the river and Symonds Yat West is on the Herefordshire side. The only connection between the two banks at this point is the ancient hand ("pull") ferry by which the ferryman pulls people across the river using an overhead rope.
This is a now part of series of caches that follow the disused railway track alongside the River Wye to Biblins Bridge and then back on the other side of the river to the ferry opposite Symonds Yat East (3 miles in total).
The disused railway track (called the Peregrine Path) goes all the way to Monmouth. I regularly cycle this route. I have another series of caches along the track past Biblin's Bridge, which I obviously also recommend.
The section from Symonds Yat East to Biblin's Bridge is flat and traffic free so is an ideal walking/cycling route, suitable for all ages and for pushchairs and wheelchair users. The bridge however, is probably not suitable for either. Once you have crossed over the bridge, there is a bit of a hill at the end which then goes down to the hand ferry which will take you back to where this cache is situated. The ferry is about £1 per person and will take bikes for a small additional charge.
There is plenty of Pay and Display parking at Symonds Yat East but it can get very busy at peak times. The first car parks are the most expensive but if you continue to car park waypointed, it is a bit cheaper.
I had to add on here a photo of this spot in Feb 2020 when the river was at it highest point, possibly ever. It is hard to imagine how much water must have fallen out of the sky to make the river swell to this point. Amazingly, the cache here survived and is in both photos!
