Kerne Bridge

Grid Ref: SO582190

At Kerne Bridge Picnic Site you will find a 35-space car park, benches and a canoe launch from which you can enjoy the sights of the River Wye by canoe.

Important notice for canoeists:

The Council's canoe launch platform at Kerne Bridge is being refurbished and improved with support from the Environment Agency and Wye Valley AONB.

A temporary launching-landing pontoon will be installed at Kerne Bridge to ensure continuing facilities are available for use free by both public canoeists and commercial canoe operators.

The existing launch will not be closed until the temporary pontoon is in place.

The work has to be carried out at this time of year for ecological reasons (the River Wye is a European designated Special Area for Conservation) and because low river levels enable the required access to the bank and river bed. The Environment Agency, Wye Valley AONB & Herefordshire Council apologise for any inconvenience caused during this refurbishment and improvement to their canoe launch facilities.

Access to Wye Valley Walk and Leys Hill Loop Walk.

Public conveniences are situated nearby at Kerne Bridge Village Hall.

On B4228, 3 miles south of Ross-on-Wye.

The village of Kerne Bridge was originally known as ‘the Quern’, but later became named after the road bridge which was built in 1828. However, the picnic place is based around the foot of an old railway bridge - a single track bridge built by Edward Finch of Chepstow. The railway line once closely followed the River Wye for most of the way, and the first station leaving Ross, except for a halt at Walford, was at the village of Kerne Bridge. The railway station, which finally closed in 1959, was located closer to the road bridge on the left bank of the river.