Day Eleven - The high and the low, a study in contrasts
We purposefully saved the village of Symonds Yat for last of the original Picturesque tour sites. The village is divided by the river itself into an east and west version. The carriageway signs make this distinction by creating two different exit ramps. What one might think upon first arriving today is that one is new and the other is quite old, but this is incorrect. Both sides have existed for many, many years and travel between them has long been accomplished by the traditional hand ferry. The big difference is that the west side has now been developed commercially further upriver as a much more commercial tourist destination dating back to the first decade of the 20th century. This is what appears to the newcomer as Symonds Yat West because it is the first area seen once off the highway. Remaining with this natural assumption, the contrast between these two sides is as immense as the geological formation of its namesake.
First Symonds Yat is known for the Yat Rock, a towering formation rising 230 feet above the river. This is reached from the east side of the river and hosts several trails along Coldwell Rocks and also several observation decks to look down the river valley. The view from Yat Rock is THE view of the river, appearing on most promotional materials printed and a wide variety of commercial ventures, including Wye Valley Brewery.
This side of the river is also the major canoe and kayaking site, probably due to the nearby rapids. At the lower position of the east side are several old hotels, inns, rental cottages, and pubs including the Royal Hotel, The Wye Rapids, and Scaracen's Head. Most of the arriving visitors are looking for an afternoon of walking, river sports, eating and drinking, and generally an outdoor stay. The old railway has been turned over to leisurely walking paths and the Kingfisher cruises continue their tours unchanged for the last fifty years.
In stark contrast, Symonds Yat West first appears on a low, flat part of the riverside, below the old village on the west bank. You're immediately faced with choices between the Butterfly Zoo, Hedge Puzzle, or Leisure Park.
The Leisure Park is a large business containing a car park, food mall, casino, arcade, outdoor gardens, outdoor playground, amusement rides, river cruises, canoe and kayak rentals, and a caravan park with campground. The dizzying array of color, forms, and signs found here are again hugely different from its sister downriver.
The new part of the west side dates from around 1910 and was developed to satisfy the needs of families on holiday, now arriving by car, rail, and bus. The Ward-Lock guide I've used so heavily to mark changes to the area is full of the information necessary to make an efficient and enjoyable visit for both adult and younger visitors. It's to my thinking a micro-history of tourism in the Wye Valley. It a fitting image to end this series, the Leisure Park even offers its own version of a Claude Glass view from an adandoned carousel horse doing double-duty as a tour ride.
Even in its brief history, this area of Symonds Yat West has produced a few ruins of its own. Several enterprises have come and gone, some arrangements for transport have failed, and a good deal of the property lies in some form of disuse. It time, all may become as the older more unchanged other half.
At this point all of the original sites of Gilpin's original tour have been visited, although not all have appeared here as images. Many villages were named in passing and don't rise to the same level of mention as though of Picturesque qualities.
In the next couple of days as we end the tour, we'll try to visit a few more which were added into his journal during his second edition, those of the area from Ross to the river's source.
Check out Day Eleven gallery.
We purposefully saved the village of Symonds Yat for last of the original Picturesque tour sites. The village is divided by the river itself into an east and west version. The carriageway signs make this distinction by creating two different exit ramps. What one might think upon first arriving today is that one is new and the other is quite old, but this is incorrect. Both sides have existed for many, many years and travel between them has long been accomplished by the traditional hand ferry. The big difference is that the west side has now been developed commercially further upriver as a much more commercial tourist destination dating back to the first decade of the 20th century. This is what appears to the newcomer as Symonds Yat West because it is the first area seen once off the highway. Remaining with this natural assumption, the contrast between these two sides is as immense as the geological formation of its namesake.
First Symonds Yat is known for the Yat Rock, a towering formation rising 230 feet above the river. This is reached from the east side of the river and hosts several trails along Coldwell Rocks and also several observation decks to look down the river valley. The view from Yat Rock is THE view of the river, appearing on most promotional materials printed and a wide variety of commercial ventures, including Wye Valley Brewery.
This side of the river is also the major canoe and kayaking site, probably due to the nearby rapids. At the lower position of the east side are several old hotels, inns, rental cottages, and pubs including the Royal Hotel, The Wye Rapids, and Scaracen's Head. Most of the arriving visitors are looking for an afternoon of walking, river sports, eating and drinking, and generally an outdoor stay. The old railway has been turned over to leisurely walking paths and the Kingfisher cruises continue their tours unchanged for the last fifty years.
In stark contrast, Symonds Yat West first appears on a low, flat part of the riverside, below the old village on the west bank. You're immediately faced with choices between the Butterfly Zoo, Hedge Puzzle, or Leisure Park.
The Leisure Park is a large business containing a car park, food mall, casino, arcade, outdoor gardens, outdoor playground, amusement rides, river cruises, canoe and kayak rentals, and a caravan park with campground. The dizzying array of color, forms, and signs found here are again hugely different from its sister downriver.
The new part of the west side dates from around 1910 and was developed to satisfy the needs of families on holiday, now arriving by car, rail, and bus. The Ward-Lock guide I've used so heavily to mark changes to the area is full of the information necessary to make an efficient and enjoyable visit for both adult and younger visitors. It's to my thinking a micro-history of tourism in the Wye Valley. It a fitting image to end this series, the Leisure Park even offers its own version of a Claude Glass view from an adandoned carousel horse doing double-duty as a tour ride.
Even in its brief history, this area of Symonds Yat West has produced a few ruins of its own. Several enterprises have come and gone, some arrangements for transport have failed, and a good deal of the property lies in some form of disuse. It time, all may become as the older more unchanged other half.
At this point all of the original sites of Gilpin's original tour have been visited, although not all have appeared here as images. Many villages were named in passing and don't rise to the same level of mention as though of Picturesque qualities.
In the next couple of days as we end the tour, we'll try to visit a few more which were added into his journal during his second edition, those of the area from Ross to the river's source.
Check out Day Eleven gallery.
posted by Darryl B. at 5:42 PM
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