🏴 Break for the Border: Wye Gorge, King Arthur's Cave & Symonds Yat
Schedule
Sat Sep 06 2025 at 07:45 am to 08:30 pm
UTC+01:00Location
Novotel London West | London, EN
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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). Alternatively, you can choose to visit the 11th-century Chepstow Castle.
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
Please RSVP and pay by bank transfer to the account below, leaving your Meetup name and the name of the trip as a reference (e.g. John Wye Gorge):
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. Please allow up to 24 hours for the payment to arrive.
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
• Waterproof and windproof jacket and trousers (if there is a chance of rain)
• Water (min 1L)
• Packed lunch
• Walking poles (optional)
HOW TO CONTACT US
For all enquiries, please PM Anna (the main organiser) via Meetup. Alternatively, you can email us at [email protected] We'll usually get back to you within 4 hours.
Your guide will be Anna (07596844467, only for use during the hike). Please get in touch if you have any difficulty locating the meeting point or need help during the trip.
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