HIKE TECHNICAL NOTES: Distance: 6 miles/ 10 kilometres Ascent: 400 metres Difficulty: Moderate Beware! There is are a few very steep hills! GUIDE: Jon Visit a legendary place at the Welsh border on this day trip! Our hike starts from Symonds Yat Rock. The internationally famous clifftop at Symonds Yat Rock provided a good vantage point for its Iron age inhabitants, who built a fort here 2,500 years ago. The site is now a scheduled ancient monument. After spending some time enjoying the views, we walk down the 120 metres steep trail to the River Wey and follow its meandering to near the border with Wales. We then cross a shaky bridge and make our way around the valley to King Arthurs Cave. About King Arthur’s Cave: THE LEGEND The reason why King Arthur’s Cave get’s its fantastic mythological name is because of its association with the legendary ruler of Camelot. If you’re not in the know, King Arthur of house Pendragon was a British leader that is mostly remembered through folklore, poems and fairytales. He had a castle at Tintagel, was taught by Merlin the wizard, wielded the magical sword of Excalibur and defeated Saxon invaders. He’s also been associated with the Holy Grail and the Knights of the Round Table. In 1695 a goat herder found in this cave a set of bones that she believed belonged to the famous king. The goat herder then sent off the skeletal remains to her friend Mr Pye who was a surgeon from Bristol. He set off on a voyage to Jamaica and, strangely, decided to take these bones with him on his journey. Unfortunately, tragedy struck while they were sailing and the ship sunk in a violent storm. The bones were lost forever at sea! THE SCIENCE King Arthur's Cave is one of only five English caves known to have been used in both the Early and Late Upper Palaeolithic periods. It consists of two chambers that join near the entrance - they go back about ten metres and have 'ceilings' up to four metres high. A two-bedroom flat where you can get some privacy from the kids? Excavations have found various Palaeolithic tools, and the remains of hyenas, horses and red deer. Were these left from meals? A horse would hardly wander into a cave - but maybe the hyenas did at an unoccupied time (you can only imagine them to be a rather stringy meal choice). A hearth near the entrance was dated to about 12,000 years ago. Later Mesolithic artefacts, including a drilled pig's tooth, have also been found in this part of the cave. FEE £68 INCLUDED IN FEE \- Travel in a private minibus from London Hammersmith \- Guided hike TRAVEL 2.5 hours, plus a service station stop each way FACILITIES There are toilets and a cafe at the beginning of the hike and at the service station. MEETING POINT: Blacks Road Hammersmith London - W6 9DT Behind Marks and Spencer ATTENTION: 1 - It is your responsibility to ensure you check messages on this event and private messages sent to you before the trip starts and up to the morning of the trip. On occasions, meeting location, time and other details might have to be changed and the event could also be cancelled last minute in case of extreme weather or other unexpected events. 2 - As with any road trips, there is a chance of heavy traffic, accidents and break-downs which could force us to skip parts of the trip, or stop it completely. We will do our best to make your day better, and of course to avoid any of these, but we expect your understanding on these occasions.   Inclusions What's Included 🚆 Transportation - by minibus 📋 Other - Guided hike   What you'll need 🧤 Warm Clothing - Appropriate clothing depending on the weather. ☂️ Waterproofs - Waterproof hiking shoes/boots are preferable 🍴 Food - Please bring a packed lunch. 🥤 Drink - Please bring plenty of water as it is going to be a long day in the nature

Nothing quite prepares you for the sight that you’re faced with once over the dunes and onto the viewing platform which has been specially set up for the seal pup viewing during the winter months of late October through to February. We will walk on the footpath from the National Trust Horsey Wind Pump site, a well-trodden walk which takes in fields, rushes, flat meadow and marshland and finally we reach the beach, (this takes about 35-40 minutes). From the viewing platform, we can watch the seals and their pups for as long as we like. We will continue to walk away from the viewing platform along the top of the dunes marvelling at the incredible sight of all these seals lying on the beach. All you can see for miles is this incredible stretch of sand, interspersed with large boulders for groynes and seals. Seals, seals and more seals! It really did blow my mind to see these wonderful creatures in their own natural habitat, just being left to get on with giving birth without any interference from humans. The best thing I loved about it was that there was no health and safety involved, apart from the regulatory signs warning you about “Caution, soft sand” – where does that one fit in on a beach!!!!! Totally back to mother nature on this quiet beach in Norfolk. I would suggest you wrap up warm if you’re coming to see the seals at Horsey, but any weather will do! I went on a cold and blustery day, but it certainly didn’t detract from my pure enjoyment of this amazing scene. There are also wardens on hand to answer any questions, especially during the busy months of December and January. COST: £48 INCLUDED IN COST  Travel by minibus from London Kings Cross and back Guided walk MEETING:  Meeting in front of Premier Inn hotel outside Kings Cross station.  26-30 York Way Kings Cross  London N1 9AA WHAT TO BRING Money or card to buy food on the way Warm and waterproof clothes, or umbrella Waterproof shoes if possible or extra shoes and socks to change in the bus just in case your feet get wet   Inclusions What's Included 🚆 Transportation - Private bus   What you'll need 🧤 Warm Clothing ☂️ Waterproofs 🍴 Food - Packed lunch and snacks 🥤 Drink - Water