Symonds Yat is a village and area in the Wye Valley which attracts many visitors. The two settlements, West and East lie on either side of the river and there is a lovely little ferry. Early humans lived here at least 12,000 years ago and findings including clothes, tools, and the bones of a mammoth, hyenas and sabre-toothed cats have been found here.

The Old Court Hotel in Symonds Yat (West) was built in the 16th century and was the ancestral home of the Gwillim family and was also, at one time, home to John Graves Simcoe He was governor and one of the founding fathers of Upper Canada. He established York, which became the city of Toronto. The Old Court was also a venue during Burgum 2000, a four-day event of Burgums from all over the world!

There were iron workings in the vicinity as iron mining, smelting and nail-making took place locally.