Symonds Yat Rockfall update
On 8 August 2023 a major rockfall took place from the cliffs at Symonds Yat Rock. Since then, we have asked all climbers to avoid using the area and the areas directly below the rockface. We have also had to formally close the public right of way leading down from Symonds Yat Rock to the River Wye (see map below).
We immediately sought professional ground engineering and geotechnical advice from a private consultancy firm. The consultant inspected the rockfall site and further parts of Symonds Yat Rock. As a result of this advice, we have put in place a Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) dedicated land closure to prevent climbers accessing the cliff face, and we will be keeping the public right of way closed for the foreseeable future. This action has significantly reduced the assessed risk as much as possible, as advised by our specialist consultants.
An estimated 20 tonnes of rock fell from the cliff face, and had it not been for the rock capture fence, the damage below could have been significant. The rock capture fence was in place for incidents like this, but the size of the fall was large enough to severely incapacitate the fence.
Why are we asking you not to climb at Symonds Yat Rock?
Since August 2023, there have been further rockfalls and so, on the advice of our engineering experts, we have closed the cliff face to climbers. This is for your safety and the safety of others. A closure has been issued by Natural England (case number 20231000023) and this prevents public access. This closure is in addition to the public right of way closure that is also in place along the footpath leading down to the river. At the moment, we don’t know whether another rockfall will happen somewhere else along the cliff face and without mitigation strategies in place, we can't take this risk.
Temporary repair of the rock capture fence has been completed, but this does not yet mean that climbing can resume in the area. The level of risk is still too high, and we still have other work to do based on recommendations given to us by our expert engineering consultants. This is a significant piece of work and so we don't have a timeline for this yet.
However, we recently met with representatives from the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) and we are now working with them to look at areas of the cliff face which could be reopened for climbing. Certain sections will need to stay closed until the rock capture fence can be fully replaced, but we hope that some routes can be opened. We will share a further update on this as soon as we can.
In the meantime, we thank you for your continued patience and co-operation.
