This small and ancient nature reserve is set within the Doward landscape near Symonds Yat. There are many hollows and bumps along the path, reflecting the pits and heaps created from the extensive and centuries-old quarrying of the limestone below.
The cave itself is limestone and is located at the base of a low cliff in the nature reserve. It is shrouded in local superstition and it is unclear how or why the cave became linked with King Arthur. Some say it played a part in the early legend of King Vortigern, a native British King who fought the invading Anglo Saxons, while others suggest it was actually part of a linguistic mix-up (‘Deu Arth’ was the old Welsh name for the hill fort at Little Doward and is also taken to mean ‘relating to Arthur’).
The reserve consists of a strip of land on either side of a public footpath leading down to a former limestone quarry and a natural rock face ending at King Arthur’s Cave. Access is straightforward, and the main track leads on beyond the reserve into woodland managed by the Forestry England which links with both the Wye Valley Walk and other footpaths within Lord’s Wood. There is small pull-in to park on Sandyway lane near the campsite, an interpretation board & public footpath that will take you to the cave