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| Date | Starting Place | Ending Place | Author | Last Update |
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| 08-01-02 |
Huntley, Gloucestershire, England |
Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, England |
ray | 02-24-09 17:34:58 |
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The main reason I cycled to Huntley in the first place was to ride through the Forest of Dean, a large swath of undeveloped forest on the northwest side of the Severn estuary. The Forest of Dean is an old royal hunting preserve bounded on all four sides by rivers. To the east and south is the Severn estuary and to the west and north is the River Wye. Huntley was just to the northeast of the forest. I talked with the host couple of the B&B and decided on a route that took me down the eastern side of the forest, across its southern edge, and then up its west side. The beginning of the trip was virtually carless on small country lanes. In the distance, I could see green covered hills.  Occasionally, I would pass by huge country homes. This one was behind a high wall and I had to hold the camera over my head to get this shot.  Early in the ride, the terrain got more isolated and the forest began to appear around me.  Shortly after I had formally entered the forest, I passed this placid pond.  Then, I passed another pond.  Soon, I was deep into the forest.  In addition to ponds and tree-lined roads, there were streams to be crossed.  I saw this brace of trees at the top of one of the many hills in the Forest of Dean. I rested here and decided to take a picture, despite the wires marring the panorama.  Here is my trusty steed taking a break.  I exited the Forest of Dean on the Northwest corner and proceeded to Symon's Yat, where I planned to spend the rest of the day and the evening. Symon's Yat is an overlook cut by a huge "U" in the Wye river. The view of the river valley is stunning.   The steep cliffs are perfect habitat for Peregrine falcons. I was able to see one sitting on a branch on this cliff using a birding scope setup by some volunteers.  To get to the birding platform, I had to walk over the road on a bridge. The view from the bridge was very nice.  Right past this overlook, the road took a steep descent.  In talking with the birding docent when viewing the falcon, I was convinced to ride to Ross-on-Wye, another 10 miles, instead of hanging out for the night in Symonds Yat. This was quite a decision as I was tired. The ride up to, through, and out of the Forest of Dean was mostly uphill. In fact, there were at least two sections that were uphill for 3+ miles. While I was told that the road to Ross-on-Wye was flat, this turned out not to be the case and was another reminder that people who drive have no idea whether or not the road is flat. Here are three views from the valley looking back up at the cliffs that make up Symonds Yat.    After a short ride, I came to a bridge that crossed the Wye river. This view shows the river, the pretty wildflowers that were common along the side of the road, and the "flat" countryside I was heading over.  This is one of the best reflection pictures I took. Again, it is along the shore of the Wye river.  After a mile or so, I had to cross the Wye again over this bridge. Note the seemingly dead grain plant in the foreground. I never did find out what it was but I saw it, in exactly this condition, all over the part of England I rode in.  Once I got onto the brigde, I took these two pictures looking both up and down the river.   Here is yet another town church that I couldn't resist.  |
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