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The River Wye
River Wye. Photo: Paula Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

River Wye

Kayak spot · UK

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

Not for new paddlers. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler.

The spot in one fact

  • Moving waterthe water

Full forecast

every day, every number

Not for new paddlers. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler. See it for grade III paddlers.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of River Wye

View across the River Wye at Symonds Yat
Photo: Anthony Parkes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
River Wye near Symons Yat
Photo: don cload, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
River Wye at Symonds Yat
Photo: John Winder, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More kayaking near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About River Wye

A launch on the River Wye. Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler. 4 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 0.0 km away. The town to stay in is Symonds Yat. Within 5 km we also list 2 kayak spots.

  • River River Wye
  • Grade No source states its grade: check a guidebook before you paddle it.
  • Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up: a river with no grade stated, which we never offer a new paddler.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire 4 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 0.0 km away.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,410–US$2,630 each

about US$1,410–US$2,630 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LHR, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$449–US$925
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$141–US$234
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$322–US$543
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$583
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$188–US$348
Totalabout US$1,410–US$2,630

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Symonds Yat

Closest

Symonds Yat

1 min by car · 32 places to stay

about US$121/nightcountry average

See 32 places to stay in Symonds Yat · Booking.com

About Symonds Yat its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$121 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 15h 25m

About 15h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LHR, direct, then 3h by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

River level

River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

  • Wyedean Canoe & Adventure Centre 0.0 km

  • Symonds Yat Canoe Hire 1.5 km

  • Wye Pursuits 3.5 km

  • Monmouth Canoe Centre 5.6 km

  • Canoe Safari 19 km

The nearest named schools, clubs and kayak or canoe hire within 25 km, in a straight line. Listings, not a recommendation. Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits