Canoeing and Kayaking
The Symond's Yat Gorge provides Wyedean Canoe and Adventure Centre with the best location in the country for the novice or expert canoeist. Our exclusive facilities on the banks of the Wye comprise of Canadian open canoes and single kayaks, including all the necessary peripheral equipment. The safe, clean waters of the River Wye provide the ideal environment for the complete beginner to develop basic canoe strokes, balance and canoe control, all supervised by our fully qualified Instructors.

First Time!

For the first time in a canoe, hire a canoe from our riverside site and simply paddle away upstream until you have had enough and drift or paddle back to the centre.

We have private secure parking with a parking attendant on site at all times.

Remember the current in the river will not be very strong when we allow first time canoeists onto the river, so it will be enjoyable and easy paddling.

The scenery in the yat gorge is fantastic, with some nice places to stop for a picnic or enjoy a hotel lunch.

The canoes are very stable; we can also raft/strap two canoes together to guarantee a dry trip if you wish too, or if you have a very young family.

Stay on our Riverside Campsite at the Canoe centre or Enjoy a canoeing weekend with no hassle and excellent 3 star food & hospitality at the Riverside Royal Lodge

Guiding and Coaching

We can provide this service with some of the countries Top Coaches
for safe enjoyable learning on the river, either on placid or white water

Canoe Hire & Kayak Hire

We have a comprehensive range of quality canoes and kayaks for hire which are regularly updated and maintained. The fleet of 60 canoes and can carry normally 2 adults sometimes 3, or 2 adults and 2 children. You can also carry camping equipment for up to a week, stored in our water resistant barrels.

The canoe is very stable but manoeuvrable for the novice and expert alike we can give you top tips and handy hints on how to paddle your canoes for your utmost enjoyment.

Kayaks can carry 1 or 2 persons, the double kayaks are very stable and ideal for novices or parent and child. The single kayak is not quite so versatile but very manoeuvrable, these single kayaks you need some previous experience and know your capsize drill. Again we are able to help with top tips. We have a fleet of 30 single Kayaks

                  
Islander Sit On Tops -these sit on Kayaks are excellent for novices and experts alike, they are stable comfortable and easy to paddle single or doubles available.

We can provide the right size canoe or kayak to suit your requirements, all you need to do is discuss your needs with us.

Delivery and Collection

 We can transport you and the canoes to given points on the river to paddle back to our centre on the river bank at Symonds Yat East or lower down the river.
Transport requirements must be discussed and pre-booked, although we will endeavour to provide transport at short notice. Charges are dependant on distances travelled. Please telephone ,e-mail or complete the booking request for your inclusive quote.

Paddle from Canoe Centre at Symonds Yat East, you can have a nice paddle for an hour or all day and return at your leisure.

Wildlife to be spotted on the river if you are quiet,kingfishers,otter,deer,mink,goshawks,peregrines,rabbits,foxes and lots of buzzards. Jumping salmon and trout, and even the odd water vole.

 Transported river trips.

This is where you drive to us, park up in our private riverside car park, we outfit you with correct size paddles, give you a briefing and make sure you have everything, including correctly fitting Buoyancy aids/life jackets, Water resistant barrels for spare clothing, picnics etc

Kerne Bridge 9 miles

This can be a Half day trip or a lazy day trip with picnic or pub lunch. Back to the centre and your car. Kerne is one of our most popular trips with some of the best scenery and river features. It’s a easy 9 miles going with the current of the river, most people typically paddle at a leisurely 3 miles per hour, a good walking pace.

Once past lydbrook the river leaves the road and enters the fantastic yat rock river gorge, you get to paddle around the horse shoe of the wye and experience first hand the scenery and area that most visitors to the famous yat rock point get to see.

Ross On Wye  back to the canoe centre 15 miles.

This trip is for persons who have been before, or fitter people with not so much experience.15 miles sounds a long way, but it’s a fairly easy trip taking in the whole day and not to be rushed, unless you want to !Ross on wye is 6 miles upstream of kerne bridge, but a flat easy paddle to kerne bridge with some reasonable scenery.

A Picnic or pub lunch is a good idea, we can point you to the quite riverside beaches or get you booked into the pub for lunch. The hotel by the canoe centre can produce some wicked packed lunches to your budget.

Symonds Yat East to Monmouth 6 miles

This is our second most popular river trip, and with a little experience you will find it a fantastic trip. Firstly you start from your car at our canoe centre and we give you a briefing of how to run the rapids of Symonds yat.(we can provide a guide/instructor for this section if you so wish,contact the centre for costs and availability)

Once you have run the rapids you enter one of the most scenic gorges on the river, drift under the famous steel rope bridge of the Biblins ,through martins pool, the deepest part of the wye and the Severn sisters rocks, simply stunning. Again plenty of place to stop for picnics.

Symonds Yat East to Redbook 9 miles.

So after Monmouth, you go under Monmouth town bridge for a further three miles to the old black railway bridge of Redbook and the boat inn,which serves some great real ales and simple food.You may even see the odd royal or two salmon fishing on the stretch of the river.

Symonds Yat East to Brockwier 18 miles

So after Redbrook ,you can paddle on to Brockweir.

This trip is for the fitter persons or looking for more of a challenge, it’s a great trip, pub lunch at the boat inn or picnic. And then a nice scenic later part of the trip to Brockweir which is the start of the tidal section and the famous Tintern Abbey gorge etc 

The best day river trip of all on the wye.

Kerne bridge to Monmouth. 15 miles

You firstly drive to the canoe centre and leave your car with us at our riverside centre, we then take you upstream in our mini buses to kerne bridge.You paddle the 9 miles of the kerne to symonds yat section and either have your picnic on the riverside at our private river side steps just above the rapids with a refreshing drink from the hotel or we can highly recommend the  lunches at the Royal Lodge.(Lunch can be prebooked and ready for your arrival)

After a great lunch ,we can then set you off down the rapids after a briefing of how best to run the rapids,and arrange a pick up time to come and pick you up from Monmouth in the mini bus and return you to the canoe centre and your car.

This trip is more expensive, because  you will have two lots of transport costs, but if this spread between the group ,the value of the trip is very worth while. It is simply the best river trip on the wye.

Multi Day Trips

These need to be planned in advance and run your ideas of the trip by our staff or booking office. You can do from a 2-day 25-mile trip to a full on 80-mile lazy week

Canoeing holiday.

The best 2 day trip is Ross on Wye to either Monmouth 21 miles, Redbook 24 miles, or brockweir 33 miles. The reason it’s the best trip is that you take in the two prettiest river gorges ,stay either at our private riverside campsite at Symonds yat east or in  the Royal lodge for B&B.Symonds yat east has some great restaurants or you can hire a BBQ etc.

Multi Day Trips

2 day

Hoarwithy  to Symonds Yat , 25 miles

Drive to us and leave your car over night in our secure parking area. We then drive you up to hoarwithy ,give you a briefing and map. Set you on your way, all you have to do is call us at the end of the day to let us know everything is ok and that you have got to the correct campsite.

This is a gentle first day of 8 miles to Ross ,stay over at one of our negotiated  camp sites or B&B that we can advise on, then a longer second day of 15 miles back to the canoe centre .It’s a nice easy trip but not as scenic as the lower part of the river.

3 Day

Holmelacy to Symonds yat ,33 miles.

We drive you up to Holmelacy ,its 33 miles upstream of our canoe centre. Drop you off with a briefing and a map etc ,advise you on the campsites and how to find them. The first day is a easy  8 mile paddle to Hoarwithy, camp over night or B&B. Next day another easy day of 8 miles to Ross on Wye with a B&B or camping.3rd day a bit longer, a full day of 15 miles.

4 Day trip

Byford to Symonds Yat 50 miles.

We drive you up to byford ,a small village north west of Hereford, give you a briefing and map, and set you on your way. You can stop over in Hereford city for lunch, stopping at Hereford rowing club .Then make your way to holmelacy for your first night camping.

Then you paddle to hoarwithy,camping at the realy nice hoarwithy village camp site with a good pub and restaurant a short walk away. Third day again a easy paddle of 10 miles to ross on wye,camping or B&B.Last day is the 15 mile paddle back to the canoe centre and your car.

4 Day trip

Bredwardine to Symonds Yat 57 Miles.

Bredwardine which is a further 7 miles upstream from byford if you want to make a longer trip, you can overnight in Hereford city or push on to holmelacy for a quieter nights camping.

5 Day trip

Hay on Wye to Symonds yat 77 miles.

Start your trip from the quaint little town of hay on Wye, we can sometimes drop you off the night before, so that you may explore a few of the second hand bookshops that Hay is famous for. There are several campsite on the way down, and we can advise which is best to stay at that will fit in with your itinerary.

The canoes have plenty of room for lightweight camping and packing your barrels in to the canoe etc ,but remember these words lightweight!

Combination River trips

You can make a combination of any of the suggested trips to make them longer or shorter. Its quite easy to add a day on, and go a further day down river past the canoe centre, and start a day shorter upstream if wish.