Black Hill/Olchon Circular - Quick Info

• Distance: 5.8 km

• Total ascent: 233 m

• River section: 2 km

• Duration: ~1 hour 55 minutes

• Walking Grade 2

• Terrain: Woodland paths, hillside tracks, some steep sections

• Start/Finish: Car park at Symonds Yat Rock

• Views: Upper Wye Valley, Coldwell Rocks, Yat Rock from below

• Difficulty: Moderate – a mix of climbs and level walking

• Highlights: Dramatic viewpoints, Peregrine Falcons, historic hillfort site

• Best time to visit: Spring and autumn for colour, winter mornings for cloud inversions

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Parking Up

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This circular is straightforward enough for most walkers and a good way into the valley and its landscape. There are two Forestry England car parks—the main lower one sits by the toilets and ticket machines, with a log-cabin café close by. From the upper car park, head back towards the road through the woods.

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Crossing the Road

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Cross the road and follow the path towards English Bicknor, passing through Bicknor Court Farm. The route then drops through a wooded cwm into the main Wye Valley. Soon you’re alongside the Wye, walking through an avenue of trees with the Shadowlands barn off to your left.

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Coldwell Rocks

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Approaching Coldwell Rocks, the cliffs rise above the path, their limestone faces cutting through the trees and shifting the feel of the walk.  What looked distant from above now feels close and more solid, with the scale of the valley properly coming into view. It’s a good place to stop, look up, and take in a side of the Wye you don’t get from the top. Yat Rock can just be picked out.

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The Viewpoint

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From Coldwell Rocks the route turns uphill, climbing steadily through the wooded slopes below Symonds Yat Rock. This is old working woodland, with traces still there — low stone walls, mossed-over ruins, and the remains of former woodland cottages tucked among the trees. It's a place to linger. 

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As you emerge from the woods near the café, it’s just a short stroll — around 300 meters — to the viewpoint. The platform comes into its own in clear weather or early mornings, when cloud can settle in the valley below (especially in winter). Peregrine Falcons are often around too, speeding through the air above the Wye gorge during the nesting season.

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History & Landscape

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Standing on the rock, it’s hard not to notice that people have been coming here for thousands of years. The top was once part of an ancient hillfort, with the steep cliffs doing good work as natural defences above the valley.

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The view itself has taken its time. The River Wye slowly carved its way through the limestone, shaping the gorge and the big looping bends you see today. You’re looking out across Herefordshire and Gloucestershire—though back then those lines on a map wouldn’t have meant much.

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Eat/Drink & Trails

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If you fancy more than just the view, there are a few good spots to grab something to eat or drink around Symonds Yat (see below), along with some cracking walks nearby that are well worth a look. See below or check some others  out, here. 

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Summary

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This 5.8 km loop from the Symonds Yat Rock car park is varied—woodland paths, valley tracks, and a short, punchy climb. Following the River Wye, you gaze up at Coldwell Rocks, and finish back at the viewpoint with big views over the valley. Along the way, there's the old woodland cottages tucked away in the woods and of course Peregrine falcons predating in the air.

 

It’s a roughly 2-hour stroll, but one that keeps shifting as you move through the landscape. The platform hits the right spot in clear weather, early mornings, or when low winter clouds fill the gorge. There’s a café nearby if you want to refuel, and more trails if you’re keen to keep exploring—this one leaves you feeling mellow.

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Some Quick Links

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Check out the Wye Valley Walk a 136 mile long distance path. Click. 

Back to other viewpoints and trails. Click.