Symonds Yat Rockfall update
Works at Symonds Yat Rock to start
Works to install a new rock capture fence at Symonds Yat Rock will start in November 2025.
The new fence has been designed to reduce the risk of falling debris and enhance public safety in the area.
The new fence has been expertly designed by Stantec Hydrock Ltd, with the works being carried out by specialist contractor iBEX Technical Access Ltd and is expected to be completed by the end of March 2026.
During this time, there may be temporary access restrictions in some areas to allow for material and machinery to access the area. However, signage and banks persons will be in place, and we kindly ask all visitors to follow any diversions and safety instructions provided on site.
We appreciate your patience and understanding while these important works are taking place.
The rock capture safety fence
Our contractor iBEX will be installing a Geobrugg rockfall safety fence below the rock face, that saw a significant rockfall in August 2023. This type of fence is specially designed to catch falling rocks before they reach roads, paths, or buildings. These fences help keep people safe in areas where loose rocks or steep slopes pose a risk.
The new fence will be 3m high, 370m long and is 20 times stronger than the previous fence. It is designed in a way that it can be easily repaired if damaged by future rock falls.
Scale of the project
On 8 August 2023 a major rockfall took place at Symonds Yat Rock. An estimated 20 tonnes of rock fell from the cliff face, and had it not been for the existing rock capture fence, the damage below could have been significantly worse. The original rock capture fence was in place for incidents like this, but the size of the fall was large enough to damage it beyond full repair.
We immediately sought professional ground engineering and geotechnical advice from expert engineers. As a result of this advice, we asked all climbers to avoid using the rockface and put in place a temporary Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) dedicated land closure to prevent anyone accessing the area. We also temporarily closed the public right of way along the track where the fence is located
This action has significantly reduced the assessed risk as much as possible, as advised by our specialist consultants.
It has taken some time before we could commission Stantec Hydrock Ltd as the geotechnical designers and then iBEX Technical Access Ltd as the principal contractor because of the substantial funds required to complete these works. We need these geotechnical specialists because the works will be complex and in a relatively inaccessible location. Consequently, it will cost just over £1 million pounds for these works which will be supported by funding via DEFRA through the ‘Access For All’ programme. This is important to protect the people and the properties below the rockface.
Changes to walking routes
Due to the positioning of the new rockfall fence the public right of way that crosses the zig zag track, known as ‘the ambulance track’, will need to remain closed. This is because the new fence will be positioned on the downslope edge of the track, so that any future rockfall hits the track and loses momentum before it hits the fence. This means that anyone walking on the track would be in the danger zone from falling rocks, so we want to permanently close the track to prevent anyone getting hurt. There is currently a temporary closure in place between Point A and Point B in the map below, whilst we go through the process of applying to permanently close the route. People can still walk between the Symonds Yat Rock viewpoint and the river (see map below) using the ‘zigzag’ path
Climbing at Symonds Yat Rock
Once the new rockfall safety fence has been installed and signed off we expect that all climbing activities will resume. We understand that climbers have not had use of the rock face for over two years and that this effects businesses that use the rockface to deliver climbing experiences. We are very thankful for the support of the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) to help communicate the scale of the works and the temporary closures to the climbing community.