The River Wye from Symonds Yat, Herefordshire, England (Matthew Dixon/Shutterstock)
Looking for some Great British adventure inspiration? You're in the right place. Here you'll get an independent, ad-free lowdown on Britain's top 50 adventure locations - the online yin to the paper yang of our Joyously Busy Great British Adventure Map.
Why Go To The Wye Valley & Forest Of Dean?
Nestling on the England / Wales border, the River Wye is a glorious place. Just some of things you can do in the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean that you can't do anywhere else...
Have a lazy float down the lovely River Wye
Enjoy great views from Symonds Yat Rock
Walk and mountain bike in the ancient Forest of Dean
Want to find out more? Read on for great photos, articles, videos, top tips and other content to fire up your adventure appetite. Got a question? Ask away.
Tell Me More
For a laid back float down a river, you may struggle to do better than canoeing through the beautiful Wye Valley - especially if you're dozing off at the back as the person in front paddles, oblivious. Stunning views of the watery meanders from Symonds Yat Rock. Right next door is the Forest of Dean - known for its huge old trees, walking and mountain biking. The drive down the valley towards Tintern and the huge ruined abbey is also top notch. The river (and road) winds across the border, and sat nav doesn't work brilliantly in these parts, so - pleasingly - most of the time you've no idea which country you're in.
The Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England (Billy Stock/Shutterstock)
The essential journey in these parts is most definitely a float down the famous River Wye...
But that's not the only way to get around...
Paragliding from Hay Bluff, Wye Valley, Wales (Crown copyright 2018 / Visit Wales)
Getting To The Wye Valley & Forest Of Dean, Maps & Guides
Getting there: 2 hrs train from Cardiff, 0.5 hr by car. From London 2.5 hrs by car. Trains not brilliant.
Travel times from where you are: See the Wye Valley & Forest of Dean on Google Maps.
Maps: Find the right Ordnance Survey maps and / or get a month's free subscription to their excellent OS Maps app.
Guidebooks: Best bet is the Lonely Planet Guide to Wales.
Walking route guidance: Wye Valley AONB walking guides.
Tourist board: Wye Valley & Forest of Dean Tourism.
More Wye Valley & Forest Of Dean Adventure Inspiration
The Symonds Yat view of the river Wye again (SuxxesPhoto/Shutterstock)
It's more about quality than quantity when it comes to good adventure inspiration in the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean... Roger Deakin's book Wildwood has a chapter on the area, and here's an intriguing look at the Forest of Dean's relationship with ochre from Another Escape.
These BBC's Ramblings podcast episodes feature the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean...
What Next?
Click here to see 49 other Great British adventure locations and tell us about your adventures, plans and suggestions for these pages.
Britain's Best Outdoorsy Bits... Mapped!
Liking what you see, but fancy keeping it old school with an actual paper map? Our Joyously Busy Great British Adventure Map features all of Britain's best outdoorsy bits (including the Top 50), plus some enjoyably random and vaguely useful stuff too. Available either as a 2-sided fold-out map or a framed wall map (office furniture and fake plants not included).
