Huntsham Bridge and Yat Rock

A wide meander of the Wye followed with Yat Rock as a highlight.

Technical sheet

18604051
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.54 km
  • ◔
    Calculated time: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 133 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 128 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 151 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 19 m

Description of the walk

(S/E) From The Saracens Head car park, go to the Ferry. Take the hand ferry across the River Wye. Once across, climb the steps and turn right.
Walk between cottages on your left and their riverside gardens on the right, and pass a restored limekiln on your left.

(1) Continue past further cottages to the Old Ferrie Inn, where a narrow flight of steps leads under the building to the riverbank. Turn left through the car park and pick up a path in the far right-hand corner.
Follow the path alongside the river and pass below a caravan park.

(2) Keep along the riverside to the church at Whitchurch, where the path diverts away from the river; either walk round the churchyard or enter it, passing a medieval cross, to visit the church. Turn right in the church car park to a bridge over a side-stream, then turn right to return to the riverbank.

Keep on along the river, passing some large glasshouses and an industrial plant. Beyond the works, leave the river and cross a scrubby field diagonally to the road (B4229).

(3) Turn right along the B4229, crossing the Garren Brook. Keep right at the junction with Newmills Hill. After a mercifully short stretch of road walking, a stile on the right gives access back to the riverside.

(4) Follow the river through a series of fields to Huntsham Bridge; just before the bridge, keep left of a fishing compound to the road. Turn right and cross the river.

On the other side, turn immediately left and continue with the river now on your left. Enter woodland and follow the narrow and slightly overgrown path as it twists and turns between boulders; ignore a footpath off to the right, keeping close to the river.

Pass the white-painted Huntsham Cottage.

(5) At the end of an open, brackeny area, the path leaves the river, bearing right into the trees. Initially indistinct, the path heads uphill to a waymark post then bears left, passing a ruined stone building to a series of steps.

When you reach a broad forest drive, take a few steps to the left, then continue up a staircase of reconstituted plastic board on your right. Follow the path beyond to a signpost, where you turn right (uphill, signposted to “Yat Rock 1⁄4”).

(6) After a hairpin bend left, pass a cottage, before bending right to the end of a drive. Walk out to the road. Turn left and walk up the road, until you pass under a footbridge near the top of the hill. Shortly afterwards, turn left and double-back on yourself along a boardwalk to the Yat Rock viewpoint.

(7) Having admired the view, return as far as the footbridge and cross it into a picnic area. A path opposite leads down rocky steps and past a small cave to a crossing with a wide track. Go straight over and follow a steeply descending path through the woods.

Keep left at a path junction, and again at a second, until you emerge at the end of the car park in Symonds Yat East. Turn right to return to The Saracens Head. (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 29 m - The Saracens Head
  2. 1 : km 0.83 - alt. 31 m - Ferry - Old Ferrie Inn
  3. 2 : km 1.97 - alt. 24 m - Church at Whitchurch
  4. 3 : km 3 - alt. 23 m - Garren Brook
  5. 4 : km 4.05 - alt. 25 m - Huntsham Bridge
  6. 5 : km 6.07 - alt. 47 m - Steps
  7. 6 : km 6.43 - alt. 106 m - Footbridge
  8. 7 : km 6.65 - alt. 131 m - Yat Rock viewpoint
  9. S/E : km 7.54 - alt. 29 m - The Saracens Head

Practical information

Uses the hand ferry (fee payable) across the Wye on the outward journey. One stiff climb and the descent from Yat Rock is steep and uneven. Riverside paths may be muddy after rain, or impassable when the river is in flood.

Pdf Link : http://walksfromthedoor.co.uk/i/walks/He...

The Saracens Head Inn
Symonds Yat East,
Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire HR9 6JL
Tel 01600 890435
Website http://saracensheadinn.co.uk
Email contact@saracensheadinn.co.uk

Reviews and comments

2.7 / 5
Based on 1 review

Reliability of the description
2 / 5
Clarity of route map
2 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
RunningBackwards
RunningBackwards

No need to apologise. It is a hazard of walking in the country!

Walks from the Door
Walks from the Door
• Last modified:

If gates along the line of the public footpath are padlocked, that is an illegal obstruction and should be reported to Herefordshire rights of way office as I suggested. I had a look at Google Streetview and the footpath sign and stile off the B4229 at step 3 do appear to be still in place, in a picture dated July 2024 (though it's difficult to see whether the path is passable beyond the stile): https://maps.app.goo.gl/an2DNiaTZtdbcg9o...

Similarly with the fallen trees etc on the following stretch - that should probably also be reported, and hopefully the council will send a team out to tidy it up. I recall that stretch being slightly overgrown when I walked it (which was in February 2016, as noted - Visorando published the route more recently) but it certainly wasn't impassable, or I wouldn't have written it up (this walk was originally compiled for a walk leaflet I wrote for the Saracen's Head at Symonds Yat). It's such a popular area that I'm surprised the local footpaths are in such bad order.

Sorry you had a troublesome day, anyway.

RunningBackwards
RunningBackwards

I think a lot has changed in 8 years as there are no footpath signs between 3 and 4, and the gates are firmly padlocked.
The other stretch had good instructions but no one looks after the path and it was almost impassable with a couple of sections closed by fallen trees, and several more where no one has cut back the growth for years, making detours necessary or tears in clothing.

Walks from the Door
Walks from the Door
• Last modified:

I'm sorry you had trouble following my directions. None of the obstructions you mention were there when I walked the route (which, admittedly, was in 2016). I'm surprised, as this is a popular riverside walk.

Both the sections you mention are designated public footpaths, so I suggest you report the obstructions to Herefordshire County Council via https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/public-...

RunningBackwards
RunningBackwards

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of walk : Nov 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

I will be honest, but I have been following instructions for walks for 40 years and this was not one of the best.
The section between 3 and 4 is not actaully possible to do with gates chained and not passable, meaning you had to walk along the B4229 which despite being a B road was very busy with no path.
The section 4 to 5 was almost impassable and anyone without a reasonable level of fitness and strength would have had to take a couple of detours to get around big ditches and small but steep climbs.
Nevermind that we had to wait 25 minutes because the ferry man had gone walkabouts.

Disastrous walk

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