River Wye Tipi Camping and Canoeing experience: The first time we used Wye Tipi Camping was in 2010. Friends were getting married and rather than going off in separate directions we decided to have a joint ‘Stag’n’Hen’ do. No need to travel great distances for this with so much to do on our doorstep…. We phoned Will at Wye Tipi Camping and booked 2 tipis – one for the stags and one for the hens – along with Canadian canoes.

We met in Monmouth on a lovely, sunny Saturday morning where the tipis were set up, and left our cars and overnight stuff there. We were driven up to Huntsham bridge, upstream of Symonds Yat, where we set off in pairs in our canoes. An hour or so down the river is the perfect place to stop for lunch – Symonds Yat. A number of picturesque pubs and cafes to eat and drink with plenty of space for mooring your canoes.

After a good lunch we set off again down to Monmouth. An exciting swift ride down the rapids just below Symonds Yat, and then a relaxed drift down to an area called the Biblins, where we stopped at a pebbly beach to stretch our legs and have a quick swim for those who wanted to (although the stag and hen had no choice in the mattter!).  Needless to say, there was lots of fun to be had down the way – no one arrived in Monmouth without a healthy dose of river water over them!

Views along the river were stunning as the river flows through the beautiful wooded slopes of the lower Wye Valley. Kingfishers were spotted along the way,
along with buzzards, cormorants and swans to name but a few of the birds we saw along the way.

When we arrived in Monmouth the Wye Tipi Camping team met us and took our canoes. A short stroll through a couple of fields takes you to the tipi site, in a field right next to the River Wye, by Dixton Church.

On arrival, everything you need is there waiting. The amazing tipis, complete with sheepskin rugs, fire pit and fire wood, barbecues and all the food you need for a good meal, all kept cool in cold boxes. The barbecue food is supplied from the local butcher and is delicious – locally sourced sausages and meat, accompanied by rolls and sauces. Wye Tipi Camping will supply it all – breakfast too!

The sun shone for the whole weekend – what a great way for friends to spend time together. A good nights sleep was had after all the fresh air, exercise, good food and needless to say – a couple of beers!

Since then we have stayed in the tipis twice more. Once we booked them for a spot of ‘glamping’ after a wedding, another time for a family trip with the kids, again by the river Wye but at a wonderful site which Wye Tipi Camping use upstream of Symonds Yat, with views of Yat Rock. Again we had beautiful weather, we swam in the river and spent the evening around a camp fire with a barbecue. That evening I think we all agreed that there could not have been a more beautiful place in the world to spend such an evening.