🏴 Break for the Border: Wye Gorge, King Arthur's Cave & Symonds Yat
Explore Britain’s most stunning trails in a small group of up to 15 people, traveling together by private minibus to beautiful, remote locations not easily reached by public transport. We’ve created a list of FAQs to help answer your questions. Join London Social Hiking on a trip to the heart of the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty! The Wye Valley is well-known for its beautiful river landscapes, dramatic limestone gorges, native woodlands, impressive geology, historic hill forts, castles and abbeys. On this trip, we'll discover the River Wye – Britain's fifth longest river and certainly one of the most scenic. Much of the lower length of the river defines the border between England and Wales. We'll be hiking in Wales, with England on the other shore! We'll do two short hikes, taking in the highlights of the area. On our first hike, we'll visit the famous viewpoint at Symonds Yat Rock. This limestone outcrop is perched 120 metres above the River Wye and provides spectacular views of the river snaking its way through the gorge. The pleasant woodland trail will take us through nature reserves to the limestone rock towers of the Seven Sisters and the dramatic King Arthur’s Cave, which provided a refuge for mammoths, hyenas and rhinoceros in prehistoric times. We'll cross the Indiana Jones style suspension bridge and also pass the distinctive red and white house, which famously featured in the Netflix series “Sex Education” (Otis's and Jean's home). After resting and having lunch and hot drinks, we'll take a short drive to the start of the second walk. This hike features the picturesque viewpoint known as the Eagle's Nest. The Eagle's Nest boasts unrivalled views down the Wye Valley to the rocks of Wintour's Leap, Chepstow, the Severn bridges and the estuary. The superb woodland path will lead us along the edge of an escarpment to the extraordinary Giant’s Cave and the Grotto, before finally descending to Chepstow and its beautifully preserved, 11th-century Chepstow Castle. This trip is suitable for reasonably fit BEGINNERS – a great way to experience hiking before joining our more difficult hikes! 🤩 ITINERARY 07:45 Meet outside Hotel Novotel London West, 1 Shortlands, W6 8DR (a five-minute walk from Hammersmith Station) 08:00 Sharp departure 11:00-13:30 Symonds Yat Rock, King Arthur's Cave and the Seven Sisters walk (difficulty: Moderate, distance: 7km, ascent: 280m) 13:30-14:15 Lunch near Symonds Yat Rock Café 15:00-17:30 Eagle's Nest, Wyndcliff, Lover's Leap and the Giant's Cave walk (difficulty: Moderate, distance: 6km, ascent: 150m) 17:45 Departure 20:30 London, Hammersmith TRANSPORT As on most of our trips, we'll travel in a comfortable 16-seater minibus. SAFETY This hike is led by an experienced, Outdoor First Aid qualified hike leader. BOOKING To keep ticket prices down and avoid PayPal/Meetup fees (£7 extra per ticket), we kindly ask for payment by bank transfer. Please include your Meetup name and the trip as the payment reference (e.g. John Wye Gorge). As places are limited, we can hold your place for 24 hours. Business Account Name: London Social Hiking Limited Sort Code: 20-17-20 Account Number: 63116514 We'll let you know by changing your status to “Paid” as soon as the payment is cleared. You can check your status next to your name in the attendees list of the event. You don’t need a paid Meetup subscription to do this – just close any pop-up windows and continue. THE PRICE OF £78 INCLUDES Transport throughout the trip Experienced, professional PSV minibus driver Guiding on all hiking routes by an experienced and qualified Mountain Leader Professional event organisation Group first aid kit with qualified first aiders Admin fee 20% VAT THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE Personal insurance (for cancellation, accident, health, emergency evacuation and loss, theft of or damage to baggage and personal effects, and personal trekking insurance) WHAT TO BRING Suitable hiking shoes with ankle support Wa
