Canoeing on the River Wye

Ye Olde Ferrie Inn

We were on a five day trip canoeing on the river Wye, setting camp each night, when we came across the Ye Old Ferrie Inn and discovered a bunkhouse right on the river bank.

We were on a five day trip canoeing on the river Wye following the Welsh Borders.  We were setting camp each night and moving on down the river the next days, and then we came across the YE OLD FERRIE INN BUNKHOUSE (Now closed)  and discovered a bunkhouse right on the river bank.

Canoeing on the river wye
Canoeing on the river Wye.

We had set off from Hereford in three Canadian canoes and a couple of kayaks hired from Wye Pursuits .  A mixture of adults, kids and teenagers there was only a few days canoeing experience between us but we took to it like ducks to water. There is nothing so peaceful as gliding down a river going miles without seeing or hearing a car and sleeping soundly each night refreshed by  exercise  and fresh air.  We did see some great tin sheds and also Symonds Yat Rocks where part of the Harry Potter film ‘The Deathly Hallows’  was filmed.

view from the canoe
Canoeing on the river Wye – Symonds Yat Rocks.

By the time we floated into Symonds Yat East we had been canoeing on the River Wye for five warm wet  days and were only a few hours from Monmouth our final destination , Ye Old Ferrie Inn looked very appealing stretched along the river bank with a welcoming sign hung by the water  “Canoeists welcome”.

canoeing on the river wye

Knowing they wouldn’t mind wet suits and with rapids ahead and rain beating down we simply couldn’t refuse such a welcome. We started off with hot chocolates sat around a huge table, the rain kept coming so we had lunch, still more rain so we had a look around the bunkhouse. This was upstairs and part of the old inn itself with quirky door openings and old fashioned windows overlooking the water. Clean and comfy and just upstairs from lovely meals and a welcoming pub, what a great place to stay when canoeing on the River Wye. The rain had stopped so, fortified for the rapids ahead, we climbed back into our soggy canoes and headed for Monmouth.

About Sam Dalley

MD Independent Hostels UK

The Independent Hostel Guide started as a hobby for Sam in 1993. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, taking on staff and growing steadily. Still a small company it punches well above its weight and provides a vital marketing and networking platform for small and oftern isolated hostel style businesses.