Walk 2552 - Offa's Dyke National Trail Diary

Offa’s Dyke is a 177 mile footpath which follows an ancient earthwork for half its length through the borderlands between England and Wales. Starting at Chepstow on the Severn Estuary in the South and ending at Prestatyn in North Wales.

The route covers a very wide variety of terrain through woodland and along the river Wye, across farmland in the Monnow valley and then up onto the spectacular hills of the Black Mountains and Hay Bluff.

Further north the hills become more rounded and moorland is occupied by sheep on Hergest Ridge, this roundedness however belies a strenuous portion of the walk where the path rises and falls over a “switchback” of hills around Knighton.

The route then changes dramatically crossing the Severn floodplain, following canal sides, before once again rising to traverse the limestone crags above Llangollen and then follow the fine ridge along the Clwydian Hills providing views west to Snowdonia.

The route way marking is excellent, this is a National Trail opened in 1971. The 700 or so stiles along the route provide a mixed blessing (at least confirming you are still on route). The path is clearly well walked, however in October in ten days I only met 5 or 6 fellow “Offa’s Dykers”.

In short this is great distance walking with huge variety, sensible paths carefully augmented in popular areas such as the ridge from Hatterrall Hill to Hay Bluff by some placed stones. The sections across farmland can get very muddy, and some of the higher sections are boggy. The route also provides a great variety of day walks.

I found that ten days provided a sensible period, with time to explore many of the interesting places along the way. The scenery varies day by day, with plenty of geological, natural and historical interest, not least the Dyke itself reputedly built in the late 8 th Century, and at times towering 25 feet over the surrounding countryside.

Accommodation along the way is plentiful, with most B & B's clearly benefiting from the popularity of the walk and welcoming walkers. There are also campsites and a few nearby Youth Hostels (but none immediately on route).

There are many guides, I found the Offa’s Dyke National Trail Guides by Ernie and Kathy Kay and Mark Richards perfect, the 2 pocket sized guides contain 1:25,000 OS mapping of the whole route, each map page covering 3-4 km, so you can pace yourself for the 5 or 6 pages of maps used each day. The description of route is up to date and interesting features noted.

The guides and further information are available from The Offa’s Dyke Association www.offasdyke.demon.co.uk.

Finally for all those who like to pick up a stone at the start of a “coast to coast” walk and throw it into the sea at the other end, there aren’t many stones in the Severn estuary ooze at the Sedbury Cliffs in Chepstow!

I walked OD in two 5 day periods choosing South to North from Chepstow to Knighton and North to South for Prestatyn to Knighton. (Chepstow, Prestatyn and Knighton are all well serviced by bus and trains)

The guide books work South to North, so a certain interpretation was required when walking in reverse, you also face the sun in your eyes in the winter months (if it makes an appearance) on balance South to North seems most attractive.

  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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