Day 9 - Llanymynech to Cloud Hill near Froncysyllte
Day 10 - Cloud Hill near Froncysyllte to Llandegla
Day 11 - Llandegla to Bodfari
Day 12 - Bodfari to Prestatyn
After Thoughts
Photos and other comments (2023)
About the Walk
Price comparison - multiply by 2.20 for 2023 equivalent
Offa's Dyke Path is a walk that I have often considered and rejected on the grounds that, looking at the map of the walk, it does not appear to be quite my type of walk. It does not follow a high level route for much of the way and there are considerable stretches crossing low level farm land and also following minor roads for more distance than I like. However, a number of walkers that I have spoken to regard it as an excellent walk and, as the end of the walk at Prestatyn is only about seven miles from my present home in St. Asaph, it seemed like a walk that just had to be done. In addition, it is always good to walk a path that you have not walked before, even if it does not quite compare with some other walks. In the case of Offa's Dyke Path, apart from having walked some parts of the path from Bodfari to Prestatyn and a few miles over the Black Mountains, all the rest of the path was virgin territory.
The path is a National Trail, opened in 1971, tracing the route of the ancient earthwork from which it takes its name. In places where no trace of the earthwork exist, either because none was constructed or because later urbanisation and farming activity have eradicated most of it, a suitable connecting or alternative route is taken to make the walk complete. The dyke is believed to have been constructed by Offa, king of Mercia in the 8th century, as a defence against the Welsh, and makes use, wherever possible, of natural defensive barriers such as hills and cliffs. These were made more secure by the addition of steep embankments and, where no natural barrier existed, a deep ditch and embankment were constructed to create one.
The route covered by two National Trail Guides published by the Ordnance Survey (ISBN 1-85410-671-6 Offa's Dyke Path South and ISBN 1-85410-771-2 Offa's Dyke Path North) as well as in other guide books. It is a pity that it could not have been combined into one book instead of being padded out with a host of circular walks around and about the trail and lots of other interesting information which is, nevertheless, not of prime importance as a guide to the walk. It would be far better to have a concise guide to the route with only essential information in just one compact volume to carry on the walk, and then a companion volume with wider range of historical and other associated information for background reading.
Although the route does not take in many high mountains, this does not mean that it is an easy walk. This area of the country is very undulating, which means that there are a lot of switchbacks along the way. For all the information that the guide books contain, they are distinctly lacking in information about how much ascent there is in each section of the walk. This is almost as important as the mileage when walkers are planning how much they should take on each day. It could be said that this can be seen from looking at the contours on the map sections, but these are deceptive in that some pages have contours at 5 metre intervals and some at 10 metre intervals, and then the last two sections suddenly switch to feet, just to confuse the issue. Considering that these are published by the Ordnance Survey, one would expect that this information could be easily calculated and included in the guides, saving individuals having to count feint and often obscured contour lines for themselves.
Having gone through the aforementioned tedious process, I worked out that the total ascent is about 30,000 ft, making an average of 2,500 ft per day on a 12 day walk. This is considerably more than the Pennine Way, which involves only about 1,800 ft a day on an 18 day walk. I have included in my diary the calculation of each day's ascent, but bear in mind that these may not be very accurate because of the difficulties involved.
Planning and Preparation
The walk is well covered by the two guide books, based on sections of 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey maps and I found, for the first time ever, that the sections laid out in the books fitted in quite nicely with the distances I like to cover each day, so I saw no need to modify them. Unlike many walks, Offa's Dyke Path goes through, or close by, several towns, particularly in the southern section, so accommodation is not as difficult to find as is often the case, and there are shops and pubs in many places along the way, with the exception of some of the more remote or high level sections of the path. The option of using Youth Hostels was ruled out, however, as there are now none that are on, or close to the route.
For accommodation, I found the web site of the Offa's Dyke Association to be excellent with up-to-date price information and other useful things such as the OS grid reference, distance from the nearest pub and distance from the route. The same information is published in a pocket-sized booklet for those who like to book as they go along. With the aid of this web site, I found little difficulty in booking all of my accommodation for the walk. The only place causing problems was the area around Chirk Mill, which is not far from Llangollen. I did not realise that I had planned the walk to pass through there right in the middle of the International Eisteddfod, when nearly all accommodation in the area was booked up months in advance. However, at Cloud Hill, the owners offered me a fold-up bed for the night, which seemed like the best offer I was likely to get, so I took them up on it.
I planned the walk to start on Tuesday 2nd July, as my brother was getting married on the previous Saturday, so this allowed me a couple of days to get myself organised after the wedding.
Day 0 - Tuesday 2nd July 2002 - Home to Chepstow and Sedbury
Distance: 1.5 miles - Station to B&B
Accommodation: Farmhouse B&B Sedbury
I took the train from Rhyl to Chepstow changing at Birmingham and found to my surprise that, contrary to all the recent bad publicity about the rail network, the trains ran very well on time and I had a comfortable and easy journey down.
At Chepstow I had a wander around the town centre, round the outside of the castle and by the riverside before making my way towards a farmhouse to the north of Sedbury where I was staying for the night. I had planned on walking to the starting point of the path in the evening to save a bit of walking the next day, but the weather deteriorated badly with heavy rain forecast overnight and I just started to get caught up in this on the way to my B&B. After a heavy downpour, the rain eased off a little, allowing me to walk to the Cross Keys at Tutshill without getting too wet but it I didn't risk walking to the start point, deciding to leave that until the morning. I had some gammon and some very good Abbot Ale in the Cross Keys and, by the time I had finished, the rain had eased off again allowing me to return in only light drizzle.
Day 1 - Wednesday 3rd July 2002 - Sedbury Cliffs to Monmouth
Distance: 17.5 miles + 1 mile to start + 1 mile Wye Valley Alternative, Ascent: 3,700 ft (Main Route), 2,900 ft via Wye Valley Alternative
Accommodation: Troydene B&B
As forecast, there had been a lot of rain overnight but, by the morning, it had stopped although everywhere around had been given a good soaking and it was still quite dull and overcast. I started the day with a very good breakfast at 8 a.m. and met another couple of chaps from the London area, a father and son named Colin (I think) and Terry, who were also setting out to do the whole walk but with some different overnight stops from mine along the way. It was already starting to look like a more sociable walk than many I had done in recent years, where I had often met very few people walking the same path. The two of them had already walked to the start the previous day, so they could just take a short cut to the path missing out the first mile or more, whereas I had to walk over a mile to the start before embarking on the full 17.5 mile walk to Monmouth. Also, they were stopping at Redbrook for the night, a few miles before Monmouth, making a more sensible walk for the first day.
Severn Bridge from near start at Sedbury Cliffs
I called into Sedbury to buy a few things for lunch as well as a postcard to send home but neither the shop nor the Post Office nor the newsagent sold any postcards of the area at all. The way to the start was mainly along the road, then down a footpath running parallel to Offa's Dyke Path to the banks of the Severn Estuary with a fine view of the Severn Bridge. The official start is not on the estuary itself, but up some cliffs just above, so I made my way up there to the marker stone. The map shows a viewpoint from near there but I found that the view was almost completely screened off by the trees for as far as the path ran up the cliff. By the time I started off from the marker stone, it was already 9.40am and somewhat later than I had anticipated, so I set off at a good walking pace over the easy terrain.
Although the route on the map looks as if it should offer over the river Wye and Chepstow, it actually offers very little view at all and there are only brief glimpses of the river here and there. There are good views of housing estates, large houses, high walls, fences and trees but not much else to speak of. I accepted this around the urban areas, as it is often not easy to find a path with a view, but was disappointed when there were no open views most of the way along the cliffs above the River Wye. What I had to keep reminding myself, of course, was that this footpath does not set out to follow the most scenic route through the Welsh Borders, but it attempts to follow the route of a 1,200 year old earthwork built by King Offa to keep out the marauding Welshmen and not so that he could take a pleasant Sunday afternoon stroll admiring the view. The fact that good defensive positions often command a good view of the surrounding land is merely fortuitous but it is also possible that the tree covering could have increased since Offa's time as the amount of building definitely had.
Bend in River Wye at Broadrock
The road near Tutshill Lookout Tower offered a good view back across to the Severn Bridge in the distance and I also found a point near Broadrock where there was access to the cliff top with a rather spectacular view over a bend in the Wye, so I took the opportunity to stop there for a break and a snack. By now the grey skies had cleared and there was quite a lot of sunshine. Any illusion the Offa's Dyke Path was a well maintained path was quickly dispelled, as I had already had to fight my way through soaking undergrowth in several places. It may be alright in the dry, but the heavy downpour overnight weighed down any adjacent nettles, ferns and long grass so that they fell across the path and soaked my legs and shorts as well as giving me a few stings. Waymarking, however, is very good, although there are a few places where signs are missing or hidden by undergrowth, so it still needs some checking with the map from time to time when in doubt. As the general standard of waymarking is very good, though, it very quickly becomes apparent by the absence of waymarking, that you have strayed off the route and it doesn't take long to get back onto the path.
After negotiating a couple of road sections with no footpath, the path follows a ridge above the Wye Valley and extensive stretches of earthworks can be seen. It is an impressive feat of engineering and, to dyke enthusiasts, is probably one of the highlights of the walk. However, I have only a moderate interest in the historical aspects of the dyke and there is a limit to how much appreciation I can summon up for an embankment of earth and stones. The annoying thing from my perspective was that the whole section was covered in dense woodland so that there was virtually no view of the beautiful Wye Valley below. The most I managed to see were a few brief glimpses through the trees but these were few and far between. I had hoped to get a good view of Tintern Abbey like the one in the guidebook, but I can only assume that the chap who took it either climbed a tree or used a helicopter, as all I saw was a distant view partly obscured by trees.
To my great relief, I came out of the trees as I started to drop down to Brockweir, and made this gave a pleasant view of the village and the river. Colin and Terry were headed for the Brockweir Inn, which is just off the main Offa's Dyke Path along the Wye Valley Walk, an alternative riverside route which is a mile longer than the direct route over the St. Brevial's Common along the dyke. Having sampled the dyke route so far and seeing lots of trees over the hill, I decided to take the valley route and call in for a pint. Unfortunately, the other two had just left when I got there at 1.30 p.m. having arrived just before noon and stayed for lunch, so they must have been walking at a good speed.
Wye Valley Walk - Alternative route to St Briavel's Common
It was so much nicer walking along the valley. I had the sun shining on me, a cool breeze in my face and a beautiful scene of green pastures, wild flowers and the river to look at - what a change from the gloomy tunnel through the trees earlier, and well worth the extra mile of extra walking.
After rejoining the main path a few miles further on, the route again went up through woodland. This time it was not so dense and there were shafts of sunlight filtering through, so it was not so gloomy, but it still blocked off the view. Even further along where the path emerged from the woods there was still not much of a view because of the woods lower down the hillside. Don't get me wrong: trees are things of great beauty but they are best appreciated either individually or in small clumps where they can spread their branches to full effect, enhancing the beauty of the countryside in the process. I am also quite happy walking through patches of ancient woodland for a while, but tire of them if they go on for too long. However, my main dislike of trees is when they cover the hilltops blocking out what would be a pleasant view. In this respect, high level walks are, in general, far better in that much of the land lies above the tree line and does not suffer the same problem.
On the way, I met an American couple who were headed for Redbrook. They were walking for seven days and just going as far as they could comfortably get in that time, which would be a little over half way. They were travelling light, as were Colin and Terry, making use of the luggage transfer service, which is available along this path.
Through Highbury Wood, there were more sections of the earthwork for a considerable distance providing an impressively steep defence. The original dyke, of course, would have been steep along its entire length, but the ravages of time have levelled off many sections to a greater or lesser extent.
Dropping down towards Redbrook, I was rewarded with one of the rare treats of the day; a view with an old iron railway bridge crossing the river, Lower Redbrook nearby and a view along the river to Monmouth. I kept my eye open through Redbrook for any sign of the others, but they were nowhere to be seen and probably enjoying a pint in the local pub. I didn't have time for such a luxury, as I still had a few more miles to go to Monmouth.
Redbrook from Highbury - Out of the trees at last with a fine view of the Wye Valley
Black Mountains from Kymin - Overlooking Monmouth towards Abergavenny, Sugar Loaf and Skirrid
The Round House on Kymin owned by National Trust
The next section into Monmouth climbs steadily up a track followed by a path to Kymin Tower with widening views opening up as the ascent progressed. Part way up I stopped for a rest and was passed by a lone walker carrying camping gear. He was doing the whole walk but had no definite schedule as he had three weeks holiday. I didn't realise at the time that I would meet up with Alan more than anyone else throughout the rest of the walk. At the summit of Kymin Tower, which is about 700ft above the river, I was treated to a superb view westwards overlooking Monmouth towards Skirrid, Sugar Loaf and the Black Mountains. There are a couple of interesting buildings on top; the Round House built in 1794 and the Naval Temple added in 1800 to commemorate victorious admirals of that era.
After a short while admiring the views, I made my way down the steep path towards Monmouth. I had been advised to take the disused railway bridge across the river to avoid walking through the town centre, but I thought it would be just as well to take a look at the town whilst I was passing. It is a pleasant town dominated by a large private school and it has a castle as well as the well preserved 13th century Monnow Bridge with fortifications in the middle. By the time I reached my B&B for the night at 6.40pm. I was quite footsore having walked over 20 miles, which is never a good thing on the first day.
Monnow Bridge, Monmouth - The bridge (on right) has a gatehouse in the middle, the only one in Britain
I was given a friendly greeting and a cup of tea, which was very refreshing and then I had a bath, which was even more refreshing, before going into town for a steak pie and chips in the Green Dragon. I had a pint of London Pride, which was quite good but then decided to try the Young's Special but found that it had turned to vinegar and was virtually undrinkable. Experience has told me that it is generally unwise to complain about the beer in a pub as it is usually taken as meaning that you are a trouble maker, so I sat there for a while taking only a few sips from the glass. In the meantime, a jazz group had started playing rather badly at first but improving a little as they warmed up. However, when they took a break I took the opportunity to leave and had another couple of pints in the Gatehouse before retiring for an early night.
Day 2 - Thursday 4th July 2002 - Monmouth to Pandy
Distance: 16.7 miles, Ascent: 2150 ft
Accommodation: Wern Gifford B&B
It was a fine day with blue sky and just a few clouds as I set off after an 8 a.m. breakfast, calling into Monmouth to buy sandwiches and write some postcards. As I was writing my cards, Colin and Terry came past, having already walked from Redbrook over Kymin. They too were headed for Pandy for the night.
The route, though not exciting, was pleasant enough through gently undulating farmland, sometimes giving views of distant hills but at least, for the most part, not boxed in by trees. Again, the path was not very well maintained, with long grass in parts - not too bad in the dry but would be a nuisance when wet. As is common with paths through farmland, the ground was uneven in many places, sometimes caused by the hooves of cattle and sometimes by the effects of ploughing and failure to re-establish the path. This can be quite wearing on the feet and ankles and takes a constant effort to avoid twisting an ankle.
Heading towards Llantilo Crosseny there were better views of Skirrid, Sugar Loaf and the Black Mountains. There is a pub marked in the guidebook at Llantilo Crosseny and I felt sure that I would find Colin and Terry there. Sure enough, as I arrived at 1.45pm they were sitting at a bench outside. Unfortunately, however, the Hostry Inn was closed on Thursdays. It only opens at weekends and at limited times during the week - hardly surprising as there is only a tiny population in the area.
After a short while, the others were on their way, but I decided to have a long break to rest my feet, which were feeling the effects of the long walk yesterday and the weight of my pack. Suitably refreshed, I made my way on towards the White Castle, which is an impressive building but I was disappointed that, although the path goes most of the way around the castle, I couldn't find a suitable viewpoint for a good photograph without paying to go inside for which I had not enough time for it to be worthwhile. From near the castle there was a very good view of Skirrid and some of the other hills, which were now quite a bit closer.
Skirrid becomes prominent on the way to Pandy
Just past White Castle I met a lone woman walker named Pip. She was doing five days of the walk but was worried about attempting the Black Mountains as she was not very good at navigation and didn't have a compass. I pointed out to her that it was far easier navigating over the Black Mountains than over farmland, as there was only one path along there and she would soon realise if she strayed off it. However, she was still uncertain about it especially as the forecast was not very good. She was booked into a hotel in Pandy for the night so we walked together for the rest of the way, which helped with the navigation which, in places, was not very easy. We went wrong almost straight away when we both missed a sign overgrown in a hedge, so had to retrace our steps for a way to find it. The difficulty with navigating through farmland is that, where the path goes across a grassy field, there is often no visible evidence on the ground as everyone walks a slightly different route, so the only indication to look out for is the direction of an arrow on a waymarker or the presence of a stile in some distant corner of a field, sometimes obscured from view. Give me the upland paths anytime as they are generally more visible on the ground and there are more natural features to help with orientation.
As we reached Pandy, I turned off along what I thought was a path leading to my B&B in the Wern Gifford housing estate, whilst Pip carried on to the main road. As I approached the estate, I realised that I was at the wrong side of a high fence, so I ended up walking through long grass down to the main road and then back up through the estate - so much for a short cut!
I arrived at 6.30pm and was greeted with a cup of tea and a hot muffin. The couple had only recently started doing B&B having spare rooms in a large family home. They had done Offa's Dyke Path themselves in four stages, completing the last stage in the north just after it re-opened in August following the foot and mouth outbreak last year. Another couple of walkers arrived half an hour later. They were a father and daughter (Jessica) who arrived by car and were going to walk for four days to Brompton Crossroads and then return to pick up their car from the B&B here.
There was a surprising choice of pubs for such a small place, with five of them within three-quarters of a mile, all being along the main Abergavenny road. I decided on the nearest one, the Rising Sun, where I met Alan, the chap who was camping. I discovered that I had left my wallet back at the B&B so just had one pint and then returned for a meal when I had got my wallet, so it was just as well I had chosen the nearest pub. By the time I returned, Alan had gone back to his tent, which was just behind the pub. There was only a limited choice of basket meals, so I had a cheeseburger and chips, which was filling enough and I even had to leave some of the chips, then I returned for an early night ready for a fairly long walk over the Black Mountains.
Day 3 - Friday 5th July 2002 - Pandy to Hay-on-Wye via Black Mountains
Distance: 17.5 miles, Ascent: 2550 ft
Accommodation: The Willows B&B
I had breakfast at 8am with Jessica and her father. It had rained through the night and more rain was forecast, but it wasn't looking too bad as I set off at 9.15am I took a packed lunch from the B&B as there were no shops nearby and certainly nowhere to get anything en-route.
After crossing a field of long, wet grass, I started the ascent of Hatterrall Hill, first by road and then by path. It started raining for a short while so I stopped to put on my waterproofs and I soon found I was getting wetter from the perspiration inside than I was from drizzle outside, so it was not long before I took them off again. There was low cloud hovering over the ridge, but still some fine views of the surrounding landscape with its verdant, rolling hills and patchwork of fields separated by hedgerows and trees. At the first trig point (464 metres), I was almost into the cloud, so I took a short break thinking that this may be the last chance to see any scenery for the next 10 miles. It felt so good to be back on a good, even path with the beautiful, springy, sheep-cropped turf that exists around here. My feet had taken a bit of a battering over the previous two days and I discovered that the new cushioned insoles I had put in my boots were too narrow for my feet and were digging in and causing blisters. I had cut some bits off to help matters when I discovered the problem, but I had still been suffering, particularly over uneven ground. However, they were feeling somewhat better today on the softer ground, at least to start off with. Despite the dubious weather conditions, I started to feel that the best bit of the walk had just begun.
Fortunately, the cloud lifted slightly so that the next few miles still offered something of a view, albeit rather murky, but then as I climbed a little higher I started to lose the view as I entered the mist. At 11.30, I stopped for something to eat and the cloud dropped even more and limiting the visibility still further. However, I was favoured again by the weather and found that the cloud soon lifted again and opened up some of the views with a slightly brighter outlook all around. I passed several groups of ponies with young foals grazing over the hills. I do not think that they are entirely wild but nor are they particularly tame either.
Further along, the ridge gets broader so that the views from either side are cut off, unless a considerable detour is made to one side or the other although there are still distant views to be seen. I had not met anyone at all so far today, although I was following in the footprints of Terry and his father who liked to get off to an early start so they could take it easy later on. There were also fresh footprints of one or two others who I was not sure about. The weather brightened up further and even gave rise to some brief patches of sunshine but these were being threatened by some ugly looking dark clouds.
Olchon Valley from Hetterrall Ridge
I stopped again for a rest and the remainder of my packed lunch about half a mile or so after the third trig point with a good view of the head of the Olchon Valley illuminated for a while by a patch of sunshine. Further on was the highest point of the ridge and highest point of the whole walk at 2,306 ft (703 metres), although it offers very little in the way of a view as the ridge is very broad at that point. Beyond there the path soon bears off to the right, dropping down underneath Hay Bluff. Had the weather been better, I would have followed the path onto Hay Bluff itself, as most people do, but the cloud had started to thicken and was descending rapidly so there was not much point, although there was quite a good view from beneath Hay Bluff before it was cut off by the descending cloud, which also brought a few showers of rain. Nevertheless, I considered myself very fortunate to have spent all day almost in the cloud but never being in it for very long.
An easy path over an upland common with a surface like a bowling green led on to the final descent into Hay-on-Wye, passing through a north facing meadow with hundreds of spotted orchids which were coming towards the end of their flowering period. Oddly enough, although the path had dropped several hundred feet down to the common, I spent more time in the mist there than I had done over the higher part of the ridge, only leaving it behind on the final descent into town. I pressed on fairly quickly, as I was hoping to a find a shop where I could buy some better fitting insoles for my boots. However, the first walking shop I found had no insoles at all, and the second one had none that gave any degree of cushioning, so I would just have to make do with what I had got for the time being.
I found my B&B near St. Mary's Church and found to my delight that the central heating was on, which meant that I would be able wash my dirty clothes and have a chance of drying them on the radiator by morning. That done, I headed back along the road to find something to eat and bumped into Pip on the way. She had taken the road route through the Black Mountains past Llanthony Abbey and over the Gospel Pass. She was staying in the same B&B as I was but said she found it rather 'spooky'. The first place I came to was The Swan at Hay where I had a pint of Flowers IPA which was a little bit 'off', but the braised breast of lamb with onions and potato was very good. The atmosphere was not particularly convivial, so I decided not to try a pint of anything else there and made my way to the Blue Boar where I met up with Terry and his father. As I suspected, they had arrived quite early at 3.30pm, which is why I never caught sight of them along the way. The Blue Boar, again did not have very much of a pub atmosphere, although the beer was better. It seems that most of the places in town cater for the trendy set from the London area, who come here because it is the second-hand book capital of Britain. They are more at home in Bistros and wine bars than in traditional pubs, so that is what is mostly catered for and some of the prices are more akin to those in London than Wales.
Day 4 - Saturday 6th July 2002 - Hay-on-Wye to Kington
Distance: 14.7 miles, Ascent: 2,400 ft
Accommodation: The Royal Oak Inn
Castle at Hay-on-Wye built circa 1200 with house built in 1660
Looking back along the River Wye towards Hay-on-Wye and Hay Bluff
After breakfast at 8am, I set off at 8.55 and called into town for a look around, to buy things for lunch and to send off some postcards. As I wandered around by the castle, I found a second-hand bookshop with an honesty box into which people were asked to put money for their purchases. Eventually, after a couple of circuits around the town, I headed across the river to continue along the path.
The morning was quite bright but hazy and the start of the walk, along the bank of the Wye and then through farmland was quite pleasant, eventually reaching the A438 road after a couple of miles with a fine view back along the river towards Hay Bluff. This was followed by a steady climb beside a deep, wooded valley with little in the way of views, then by some road walking with very high, dense hedgerows so that the only views to be seen were those from the occasional gateway into a field. At least at the summit of the hill there were some good views back to the Black Mountains and of the gently rolling hills around and I stopped there for a snack a little before noon.
The walking now improved as the height was over a thousand feet and there were less trees to screen the view and the hedgerows were not so tall or dense. There were a number of ups and downs, but it made pleasant walking country and the odd shower of rain didn't last long. After a short stop for lunch, I met a couple of chaps from Bristol coming the other way. They were just out for the weekend doing two sections of Offa's Dyke Path. Hergest Ridge was now very prominent ahead as I neared Gladestry and called in the Royal Oak for a pint of Goldings. In there were two other walkers whom I had not previously met but who had been mentioned by some of the others. Shortly afterwards, as I was sitting outside, Pip came walking by and stopped for a drink too. I had thought that she had gone ahead of me, as I had spent a while looking around Hay, but she too had spent some time there.
North West from Little Mountain
North from Hergest Ridge
My feet had been giving me more and more problems which I had been putting down to the narrow insoles, but I began to realise that, although this had caused some of the problems, they were not the major factor. The main problem was the age old one of having a high instep with not enough support under the arches of my feet. This was putting too much pressure on my heels and balls of my feet. I looked for what I had with me that would be suitable to give more support and tried a folded up sock under the middle of each insole. A walking sock was too bulky, but a thin sock was just about right and I found a vast improvement as I set off walking again - the remaining four and a half miles felt like I was walking on air and was such a welcome relief.
The walk over Hergest Ridge was a lovely end to the day with soft springy turf and good views of the hills around. I walked this last stretch with Pip until she went off to her B&B, which was a little way out of town. The sun came out for a while to make the walk down into Kington even more pleasant and the relief from sore, aching feet made the whole world seem a better place, especially as I had the prospect of more comfort for the rest of the walk. It was a quarter to five as I arrived at The Royal Oak, advertising itself as the first in England or the Last in Wales, depending on which way you are going. As it was still quite early, I decided to have a look around town before checking in. I bumped into several other walkers as I walked down the main street, some that I had met before and others I had not. It was not long before I realised that there is not much to see in Kington as I was very quickly onto the road out of town. However, it is a pleasant enough place with a fair number of shops and pubs, so has most thing that a walker is looking for.
The Royal Oak is an old coaching inn dating back to the mid 16th century, with floors and ceilings sloping at all sorts of odd angles, particularly along the landing and rooms upstairs - I felt as if I had had one too many before I had even started drinking! At 7pm, I went down to the bar - I had suggested that Pip met me down here for a meal as she, like many lone women, didn't like going into pubs on her own. This meant that she had been buying cold things from the shops and eating them in her room, so it would make a pleasant change for her to have a hot meal and some company. As it happened, on the way she had met up with Charles, a 76 year old lone Offa's Dyke Path walker, so they both joined me, followed by Ian and his friend, who I had met earlier in the day. Soon afterwards, Jessica and her father came in as well, so it was a very sociable evening until everyone departed to their various B&Bs.
Day 5 - Sunday 7th July 2002 - Kington to Knighton
Distance: 13.5 miles, Ascent: 2,500 ft
Accommodation: Mill Green B&B
Offa's Dyke at Rushock Hill Only a mound remains of the dyke here but there is a marvellous view of the valley and hills beyond
Looking back to Herrock Hill from Evenjob Hill
A fine view of the hills to the west from just beyond Pen Offa
After breakfast at 8.15am, I went into town to buy things for lunch and to send off some postcards. It was 9.40 as I set off along the path out of town, across the bypass and up a steady climb to the golf course. It would have been a good view had it not been for the dreary weather, although it at least was not raining. A pleasant walk over Rushock to Hill revealed distant views across to the hills of the West Midlands with, I think, the Wrekin near Telford clearly visible. The path follows a section of the dyke around the edges of a field leading to a marvellous view to the southwest near Herrock Hill looking across at the Hergest Ridge. The Dyke runs up near the summitHerrock Hill itself obviously formed part of the defence line but the path takes an easier route down the side of the hill to the valley rather than going over the summit, which would probably have provided a good viewpoint.
Offa's Dyke near Yew Tree Farm A deep ditch and high mound are still in evidence here
>A fine view over Whitton and the Lugg Valley from Furrow Hill
Clock Tower, Knighton Knighton town centre, nearly half-way to the end of the path
I stopped at Ditchyeld Bridge for a rest and a snack in light drizzle, although there were a few patches of blue in the sky. Ian and his friend were a little way ahead but I could see no sign of any of the others as yet. The path runs at an angle up Evenjob Hill following a well-preserved section of earthworks with fine views back to Herrock Hill and the hills to the west. Over Pen Offa views to the east opened up - one distant hill had white domes on the top, presumably housing a radar station. I stopped for lunch a little further on with a view across the Lugg Valley to Furrow Hill, the next part of the walk. On the descent to the river there were again some well-preserved sections of dyke with a deep ditch and earth mound still evident. As the path ascends Furrow Hill it again revealed lovely views to the west with the sun starting to shine making them look much better. The dyke, however, is far less evident here, being only a slightly raised mound of earth with little evidence of ditches. An easy walk brought me down into Knighton by 5 p.m. and I found my B&B down near the river where Alan had already pitched his tent in the front garden as there was no camp site around.
After a pot of tea and a shower, I took advantage of the warm evening sunshine to wash out a few things and hang them outside, hoping that they would dry by the morning. The day's walk had been a very pleasant one with lots of good viewpoints and fine walking country. It also helped that my feet had been a lot better with the extra support under my arches and two shorter days of walking had also helped on that score.
After wandering around town, which as well as being nearly at the middle of Offa's Dyke Path is also the start of the Owain Glyndwr Way, I went to the Horse and Jockey where I sat outside to have a few drinks and a meal in the pleasant evening sunshine. I kept an eye out for other walkers but none came past, so I eventually made my way back to the town centre where I met Alan and Charles by the telephone box. Charles was going for a drink in the George and Dragon, so I joined him for a pint before returning to my bed. My washing was still soaking wet, so I took it inside and hung it over a cold radiator.
Day 6 - Monday 8th July 2002 - Knighton to Brompton Crossroads
Distance: 15.5 miles, Ascent: 3,750 ft + 3 miles for meal
Accommodation: Little Brompton Farm B&B
I had a good breakfast at 8am and changed into some of the things I had washed the night before which were still wet. Body heat is one of the best ways of drying them if you can put up with the discomfort to start with. Having completed the Offa's Dyke South book, it was a good opportunity, whilst I was in Knighton, to save a bit of weight by posting it back home and also to get some sandwiches for lunch. Knighton is home to the Offa's Dyke Centre and also has a commemorative stone near the earthworks by the river. The weather started off very dark with a few spots of rain, but soon brightened up with white clouds in a blue sky and a cool breeze - ideal walking weather.
Knighton from Panpunton Hill The path can be seen coming up the hillside
Looking westwards along the Teme Valley from Panpunton Hill
The steep climb up Panpunton Hill revealed a lovely view back overlooking Knighton, and the ridge further along gave more splendid views of the hills and valleys further west. I met Charles on the way up the hill. For a 76 year-old he was doing very well keeping up a steady plod without stopping so he still made good progress. I passed him on the climb but when I stopped further along the ridge to write a few notes in my diary he passed by making some comment about the hare and the tortoise. He was only doing a short stretch of about 8 miles to Newcastle, so he could take his time if he wanted to. I met him again on Cwm-sanaham Hill where he stopped to have something to eat. It was probably the last time I would see him as he would drop a day or two behind me for the rest of the way, so I stopped to have a good chat before bidding him farewell. His feelings about the walk so far were much the same as mine - he didn't like the first two days very much but was now enjoying it very much now that there was much better walking country with good views and more even ground underfoot.
The earthworks were visible for most of the route, sometimes with a high mound and deep ditch and sometimes more levelled out with the passage of time. Along by Llanfair Hill views to the east opened up and the country to both east and west was somewhat gentler with rolling hills for many miles in all directions. I stopped for a lunch break on the dyke itself which, at this point, is a little way to the east of the path. Offa's Dyke Path avoids the dyke itself to reduce erosion, which is a problem along this particular stretch. However, this is of no detriment, as there is a good view of the dyke from the side. My lunch consisted of a ham and cheese baguette, which was very good, followed by a square of something I was not quite sure of, but which I had bought a day or two earlier because it had the appearance of being very filling. It looked like a sort of shortbread with a chocolate filling and had the weight of a half brick. The filling turned out to be not chocolate, but a solid slab of figs. I struggled through it, not wanting to waste anything that I had carried so far, but afterwards wished I hadn't, as I felt quite queasy for a while and felt as if I had a lead weight in my stomach.
Newcastle from Craig Hill Looking westwards along the Clun Valley
There were some good views of the Clun Valley both from the descent into the valley and ascent up the other side with the dyke ever present close by. This is where Charles was staying for the night in the village of Newcastle. It was worrying to see the erosion to the dyke in places, some of it caused by rabbits and other burrowing mammals but in other places it looked more like the action of grazing cattle. It is difficult to protect against some forms of erosion, but it looks like more effort needs to be taken to protect sections where there are obvious signs of problems.
Although there was more exertion required today with undulating landscape, it was not excessive and was well rewarded by the lovely scenery and the impressive sections of earthworks. Along this stretch it is possible to enjoy both the dyke and the landscape at the same time. Towards the latter part of the day's walk, the scenery is less impressive, but still pleasant with the dyke ever present. There are some steep climbs which look very daunting but which, in reality, only take about five or ten minutes of exertion to climb. On the way towards Churchtown I met up with about fifteen teenagers in three groups heading towards a checkpoint on the walk that they were doing as part of a Duke of Edinburgh Award. They were carrying full packs with camping gear and some of the more slightly built ones must have been carrying nearly half their body weight. Needless to say, they were finding it difficult up the steep track from Churchtown. They were all very pleasant and I chatted to each group as I encountered them, so different from many of the teenagers hanging around on street corners.
*
Brompton Crossroads, my destination for the night, has very little in the way of facilities and, when I booked my accommodation at Little Brompton Farm, the lady there was rather reluctant to offer an evening meal, suggesting that I should call at Mellington Hall on the way, about one and a half miles before the farm. Mellington Hall is a large caravan park with hotel and restaurant and bar serving bar meals, but at 5.30pm when I arrived there, everything seemed closed and there was nobody around to ask, so I continued on my way to my B&B. As I passed the end of the long driveway to the Hall, there was a sign saying that food was available from 6.30pm to 9.30pm so, after I had had a pot of tea and a bath in my rather luxurious accommodation, I headed back there, this time along the road and driveway to the hall, rather than along the dyke.
At the B&B I was told that there were two other walkers booked in and that they were stopping off for a meal at the hall. I was not quite sure who it would be but, when I arrived back at Mellington Hall, I found Jessica and her father just finishing a meal in the bar. They were just finishing their last of four days from Pandy, where I had first met them, and were heading back the following day to pick up their car. I had a very good meal of steak and ale pie plus Worthington's bitter before heading back to the B&B. The pub at Brompton Crossroads itself looked like a relic from the 1950s with signs advertising Double Diamond and a set of ancient, rusting petrol pumps outside, one of which was showing a price of 4/3d a gallon. I think there was some life in there as I passed by, but it was probably just a few locals in there.
The farmhouse was a very fine old half-timbered building, which had been very beautifully restored, revealing all the beams and timbers, and the accommodation was en-suite, mine having a large bathroom included.
Day 7 - Tuesday 9th July 2002 - Brompton Crossroads to Buttington
Distance: 12 miles + 2 miles to Montgomery + 0.8 miles to B&B, Ascent: 1,450 ft
Accommodation: Plas Cefn B&B
It was a damp, dismal morning as I got up for breakfast. I chatted to Jessica and her father who had to make their way to Craven Arms, about 15 miles away, to get a train back to Abergavenny. There was no bus there so they were going to attempt to hitchhike and, if that failed, they would call for a taxi. The lady from the B&B in Pandy, who was working in Abergavenny in the morning had offered to wait there to collect them from the station and take them back to the B&B, where they had left their car.
I set off into the rain, which started to get a bit heavier than the drizzle it had started with. I took a path, which is not marked on the map, back to the path. The right of way that is marked does not exist on the ground, as I had found the night before. There was a lot of long, wet grass to trudge through varying from knee height to shoulder height in places. I decided to take a detour into Montgomery, which is about a mile off the route, to take a look at the town and to buy something for lunch and send off some postcards and possibly take shelter from the rain for a while. It is quite a nice little town with a ruined castle high on a hill. Apart from a few shops and a pleasant looking square, there was not much else going on there. I thought that I might stop for a pot of tea, but I didn't see anywhere to get one so I headed back to rejoin the path. The rain had eased off to a drizzle and it was looking a little brighter as I made my way along the straight line of the dyke which, in some places is several feet high but in others is hardly more than a raised hedgerow.
After a mile or two of flat walking the path heads up a bank and follows the top of the hillside, where I stopped for a while for lunch under the shelter of a tree, although by now it had almost stopped raining. It was only about a mile and a half to Kingswood, where there was a pub marked in the guidebook, so I continued, still wearing my waterproofs because of the long, wet grass in places, rather than for the rain. The pub was closed when I got there, but the landlord was just returning in his car and he invited me in. He was very chatty and seemed willing to oblige anyone who came along, whether it was for a drink or a cup of tea. I only had one pint, as I still had several miles to go to my B&B just out of Buttington.
Buttington from near Buttington View
On the climb up to Beacon Ring, an old hill fort, I met Alan, who was also heading to Buttington to a B&B as his tent was still soaking wet. We walked together past the fort, which looked just like a section of the dyke built in a circle, which I suppose it was. The weather started to improve further and there were some good views over Welshpool and of the hills round about. Down the hill towards Buttington Alan turned off to find his B&B at Buttington View, whilst I headed down to the busy A458 road and along there to Plas Cefn Holdings about three quarters of a mile to the north east. To start with there was a narrow footpath but then I just had to walk along the side of the road, which was not very pleasant with the busy traffic at that time of day. When I arrived at my B&B I was told off for not ringing to be picked up from Buttington and avoiding the walk along the road, but I generally prefer to do as much as possible on foot when I am on a long walk, even if it is not very pleasant at times.
I was just having a welcome cup of tea when the telephone rang and the landlady drove off to collect someone who said they knew me. She returned a few minutes later with Alan who had found that the other place had stopped doing B&B.
By the end of the walk, my feet were squelching because of all the walking through wet grass, although everything else was dry, so I stuffed my boots with newspaper to dry them out a bit. In many ways it was better that the worst weather had been in the morning when the walking had been on the flat, as I would not have missed much in the way of views.
Alan and I went down to the Green Dragon for a meal, driven there by the landlady, who insisted that we shouldn't walk down the road. After a pleasant meal and a few pints of Worthington's, we disobeyed orders and walked back as there was a lot less traffic.
Day 8 - Wednesday 10th July 2002 - Buttington to Llanymynech
Distance: 10.5 miles + 6 miles detour to Powys Castle (Welshpool), Ascent: 50 ft + 200 ft to Castle
Accommodation: Lion Hotel
Looking at the walk to Llanymynech, it was only 10.5 miles of fairly flat walking, so I could be left with half a day with nothing to do. The only reasonable detour seemed to be to walk in the opposite direction, through Welshpool, to Powys Castle and back, which would be about 6 miles round trip. The only annoying thing was that I had left my National Trust membership card at home so I would have to pay if I wanted to go in.
I had breakfast with Alan at 8am. My socks had dried out on the line overnight and my boots were somewhat dryer, though still damp. We had another lift down into Buttington, as the landlady had to open up the church as one of her duties as Vicar's Warden. Many churches do not dare leave their doors open unless there is someone in attendance to deter vandals, but here the crime rate is still very low and they can get away with it. She showed us around the church before going off into town, whilst Alan went along the main path and I set off for a pleasant walk along the Montgomery Canal towards Welshpool and thence to Powys Castle. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the extensive grounds and even the castle courtyard were open to the public for free. The castle itself and the gardens were subject to an admission charge, but I was able to see as much as I wanted of the outside without payment. There was a good view from outside the castle back over Welshpool to the Breidden Hills, which I would be passing near to later in the day.
View north from Powys Castle towards the Breidden Hills
The courtyard of Powys Castle
After looking around for a while, I started to make my way back, taking advantage of the shops in Welshpool to buy a few things for lunch. I retraced my route back along the canal, which also is part of the Severn Way, to Buttington. Instead of dropping down to the River Severn at Buttington Bridge, to join Offa's Dyke Path, I decided to carry on along the canal towpath, as Offa's Dyke Path joined up with that in about a mile and the two walks then run together for the next few miles. I had a short taste of the showers that were promised but there had not been much rain and there had been plenty of sunshine.
I stopped for lunch by the canal and met a chap who was walking Offa's Dyke Path from north to south, having walked it south to north a couple of years ago. There were quite a few dragonflies about and water boatmen on the surface of the canal that had surprisingly clear water. I could see the bottom quite clearly unlike many canals that have very murky water, but then there is very little traffic on this canal to stir up the mud. As I walked along, I could see numerous shoals of fish, probably trout, all about 4 inches long. There seemed too many of them to have grown there naturally so I presumed that they had been put there by a local angling association.
Eventually the path parted company with the canal and turned down by the banks of the Severn which, at this point, runs a very meandering course, although the path takes a much straighter line. One could be forgiven for thinking that Offa had been at work along here as well, but it was merely the work of a modern day Offa building a flood defence, although it was probably built on top of the original dyke. Across the river, the Breidden Hills were getting closer, as were several aerial masts and also the noise from basalt quarrying at Criggion Quarry. The whole face of the hill is being taken away and one wonders if some future generation of Offa's Dyke Path walkers will find that there is no hill left at all!
I stopped for a spot of sunbathing at 3pm as well as to give my feet a rest until a large black cloud came over 20 minutes later and a little shower followed soon after. A little way before Offa's Dyke Path parts company with the Severn Way, I met two couples walking the path in the opposite direction. Some of them sounded Dutch and they warned me of an imminent footpath diversion and also of a nasty patch of nettles to come. Work was being undertaken on the flood defences and there were convoys of earth moving vehicles going back and forth where the path should be, necessitating a diversion of about half a mile to get around. Shortly after the diversion I encountered the nettles which were on a badly overgrown section of the path and just the thing you can do without when you are wearing shorts.
A short while later I met another couple walking the whole path coming the other way. I was surprised to see so many walking that way in such a short space of time, having met very few all the rest of the way, but then I realised that they would all have set off at the weekend, which is the most popular time to start any walk.
River Severn near Pool Quay The path follows the Severn Way for a while
Water lilies on Montgomery Canal near Llanymynech
Llanymynech Hill from Montgomery Canal
After walking along the flood defences, the ridge reverts back to the original dyke which, though not very high, is still evident. After Four Crosses, the path rejoins the towpath of the Montgomery Canal for the rest of the way into Llanymynech. The canal is not yet fully opened, as there are a number of road crossing which block the waterway until funding can be found to build bridges. The lack of waterway traffic means that the banks have masses of wild flowers growing and there are lots of water lilies on the canal itself. This all made for pleasant walking and the view was enhanced by Llanymynech Hill, which came closer into view. I was just about to end the walk and enter Llanymynech when I met up with an obstacle on the towpath. A swan was sitting in the middle of the path with her brood of several cygnets. I approached quite cautiously but the swan didn't like it at all, so I backed off. After a short wait I made another cautious attempt to get around but this caused even more anger and the swan came hissing towards me. Knowing that an angry swan can do a lot of damage, I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and that I would have to retrace my steps back to the last road access and walk into town that way
At about 6pm I arrived at the Lion Hotel, which is half in England and half in Wales with a marker in the bar showing the dividing line. This unusual feature has caused them to be featured on television on a few occasions. After a shower I went downstairs to the bar, where I had a nice pint of Bass and a bar meal and was then joined by Alan who had his tent pitched around the back. Alan had also been confronted by the swan but had made a quick dash around accompanied by a lot of angry hissing noises.
Day 9 - Thursday 11th July 2002 - Llanymynech to Cloud Hill near Froncysyllte
Distance: 16.8 miles, Ascent: 3,150 ft
Accommodation: Cloud Hill B&B
I had breakfast at 8am and got a packed lunch from the hotel, as I wasn't sure what shops I might find. The proprietors have been there for 42 years and are only just thinking of retiring because of the wife's ill health. Having been in the same business for only two years I would be happy to retire tomorrow, so I think they deserve a medal for that length of time in a very demanding job, with long hours and little time off. As I passed the village Post Office, I thought I would call in for a postcard but, like so many places around the Welsh borders, they did not sell any. Many places in other parts of Britain sell postcards of the most mundane things, but here, where the countryside has quite a lot to offer, nobody seems to think it is worthwhile.
It was 9.15 as I started the climb of Llanymynech Hill, which was quite steep in places. However, there were very few views from there as much of the way was thickly wooded. It would have been possible, in some places, to climb higher up the hill above the tree line for a better view, but I carried on hoping I might find one later. Further along by the golf course there were one or two places clear of trees which offered the views I had been waiting for. Path maintenance was very poor in places, sometimes overgrown to shoulder height and interlaced with nettles. The route down from the hill and then following some minor roads gave better views than there had been most of the way along the hill itself.
Breidden Hills from golf course on Llanymynech Hill
Range of undulating hills west of Moelydd Uchaf<
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Climbing up the hill above Nantmawr in a mixture of sunshine and showers gave good views and I stopped for a rest looking back across to Llanymynech Hill. The views opened up even more as I ascended Moelydd Uchaf culminating in a full panorama at the top. From there on the route drops down to Trefonen, which has a pub but it was only noon and I still had a long way to go, so I gave it a miss. At that point the heavens opened and there was a hailstorm, so I sheltered under a tree for a while until it eased off about 5 or 10 minutes later. Towards Tyn-y-coed I missed a left turn in the path by following something that looked like the dyke but wasn't. A quick check with my newly acquired GPS soon showed me where I had gone wrong and I was soon back on the right path but had to take shelter again because of another heavy shower. A GPS is hardly necessary on a walk like this with such good waymarking, but it can be handy at times to give an accurate grid reference.
On the way to Tyn-y-coed there were some very impressive but short sections of dyke with the characteristic deep ditch and high ridge. Outside the pub in Tyn-y-coed I met a lone backpacker walking the dyke from north to south. He had just been in the pub having a meal but had not seen any other walkers in there, so I decided to carry on and stop for my packed lunch in Candy Woods where there was shelter from any showers of rain.
The walking was more varied than the previous day but had not given rise to many impressive views, just quite pleasant walking. There was an interesting walk by the old Oswestry racecourse on top of a hill with its sculpture of horses heads and remains of the old grandstand dating back to the early 18th century. At Carreg-y-big, there is another impressive section of dyke, which can be seen from the road, but the path runs on the English side from which the dyke cannot properly be seen. Another shower of hail caused me to take cover under a tree, so I took the opportunity for short break at 3pm with about five and a half miles left to walk. I met a couple who were out walking for the day and then a group of three doing the same but none of them had met any other walkers, even though I was still following Alan's boot prints.
Sculpture at the Old Oswestry Rececourse and ruins of the grandstand
Chirk Castle from Tyn-y-groes An alternative route can be taken via the castle
Dropping down the hill towards Chirk Mill, there is a good view of Chirk Castle in the distance and it stands out as a very impressive building. Somehow I must have missed a stile and ended up walking down the road until I realised that I was going too far east and had to cut back across further down. My B&B was nearly three miles past Chirk Mill, so I had another climb up to Tyn-y-groes, then a steady descent by path and minor roads to Cloud Hill, which was right by the path. From Tyn-y-groes there was a good view back of the dyke descending the opposite hillside. Over the brow of the hill was another good view of Chirk Castle, this time from the northwest looking back down the alternative route past the castle.
At Cloud Hill I found that I had now been allocated a proper room rather than the fold up bed that had been promised, although this meant that it cost me £25 instead of £12. However, it was a very nice room and better than having to sleep in a corner somewhere, so I was grateful to have been offered a bed of any sort for the night.
Aqueduct at Froncysyllte from Aqueduct Inns
After a shower, I walked down the road to the Aqueduct Inn at Froncysyllte for a bar meal and some Marston's Pedigree. There was a great view from the bar window overlooking the approach to the aqueduct, although there is a bend in the canal at the start of the aqueduct, which means that the main span is hidden by trees. After my meal, I took a walk over the aqueduct and back, watching a longboat crossing over. The width is only a few inches greater than that of the boats, so no steering is required and at one side there is an unprotected drop of over 120 ft to the valley below, whereas the other side has the towpath and railings. This is a remarkable construction, considering that it was built in 1805 and all the materials for its construction - coal, iron ore, stone and manpower (with the exception of Thomas Telford himself) were obtained within a mile and a half of its location. It is interesting to think that most of the early canal network was built using much the same technology as that available to Offa; manpower and horsepower. Remarkable as the construction of the dyke may be, the construction of the canals was an even more remarkable achievement.
Day 10 - Friday 12th July 2002 - Cloud Hill near Froncysyllte to Llandegla
Distance: 12.5 miles + detour around aqueduct, Ascent: 1,700 ft
Accommodation: Hand House B&B
I had good breakfast at 8am together with all the International Eisteddfod visitors, whilst hearing lots of interesting local information from Mr. Sutcliffe, and watching a video about the aqueduct. The path, which runs right by the front gate, led me off down to the Llangollen Canal via the last section of actual dyke earthworks for the rest of the way. It was a beautiful morning with warm sunshine as I made my way along the canal towards the aqueduct. Offa's Dyke Path goes down by the river beneath the aqueduct but the alternative route, for those with a head for heights, goes over the aqueduct towpath itself. I decided to go over the aqueduct and then take a look at it from the road below, as I had plenty of time. I met a couple who were walking the path but had split it into 2 days over one weekend then 9 days including two weekends, so they were having to do extra mileage each day to make up for one less day's walking.
By Llangollen Canal at Froncysyllte This amazingly well cultivated garden was beside the canal
Telford's Aqueduct at Froncysyllte (the path follows the road lower down)
Pont Cysyllte Aqueduct from the River Dee below
Down the road to the bottom of the aqueduct I found a small, rather difficult path leading right underneath the arches, where it met up with a well constructed path which now seems to be the official route of Offa's Dyke Path instead of the road, which is shown in the guide book. The views from beneath and from a little way to the east were most impressive and I then made my way back up the new path to the top and into Trevor to buy things for lunch, send a postcard and post off a film.
The route, after a short stretch along by the canal heads up through Trevor Hall Woods to join the Panorama Walk overlooking Llangollen. I was just emerging from the woods when I got caught in a heavy shower and had to take shelter under a tree. This was fine for about ten minutes but then droplets of water started to fall from the leaves and I decided that I would get less wet in the open, as the rain had started to ease off and soon stopped. There now opened up a glorious view of the valley and hills around Llangollen, although the band of cloud was rather slow in moving across to add sunshine to the scene. Further on, the Panorama Walk/Drive revealed a lovely limestone ridge that looked like an obvious route to take, although Offa's Dyke Path follows the road below the crags. Not one to miss out on a high level route wherever possible, I decided to forsake the official path and follow the ridge. At the top I had lunch whilst waiting for the cloud to drift away and, after a short shower, I was rewarded with a beautiful sunlit scene below overlooking the ruins of Castle Dinas Bran on the hill opposite.
Eglwyseg Mountain The limestone ridge was just asking to be climbed, whilst the path follows the road lower down
Dinas Bran Castle on the hilltop from Eglwyseg Mountain
I definitely thought that this was a far better route than the road and, having walked along the road on a later occasion, I found it rather disappointing. The only advantage of the road route is that it allows a detour to the castle, which is well worth a visit for its fine viewpoint and interesting remains. There are no really good long distance views from the lower route, whereas the high route offers views across to the Horseshoe Pass and also to Cadair Idris in the far distance. The ridge has several layers to it and the higher ones started to lead me further in from the valley and away from the better views, but having walked the route again later, I found that it is better to stay close to the steeper edge of the cliffs, even though the path is less clearly defined. As I appeared to be losing the better views, I decided to drop back down the next valley and joined up with the path where it departed from the road. This revealed views of the crags further along rather reminiscent of scenes from the Grand Canyon but on a much smaller scale. This latter part of the route gives rise to some very spectacular views of the cliffs from below and it is debatable as to whether the views from the top or the bottom are better. On reflection, I think I got the best of both worlds by following the high route to start with, then the low route later on.
Llantysilio Mountain and Horseshoe Pass from Eglwyseg Mountain
Craig Arthur near World's End Looking like a scene from a miniature Grand Canyon
Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse again with dark black clouds and I had to shelter from rain again under some trees until it improved. At World's End there is a distinct change in the scenery from dramatic limestone crags to open, heather covered, peaty moorland rather reminiscent of the North Yorkshire Moors. Where the path departs from the road, most of the way has been laid with old railway sleepers, although these weren't necessary at the time as the ground was still quite dry. The walk through Llandegla Forest was not as dull as I expected, as there is quite a wide clearing by the path and it was not long before I was out of the forest, across some fields and into Llandegla Village.
My B&B was at a place marked on the map as an Inn, but which is now a private house. It used to be called the Hand Inn but is now called Hand House. The couple who own it bought it a few years ago in a derelict condition and have done a wonderful job of restoring it, although they still have some work left to do. I had tea and toasted scones in the conservatory on arrival before going to my room and then having a long soak in a huge bath in a rather palatial bathroom.
On the way through the village, I had noticed a sign for camping behind the Memorial Hall, so I had a look round the back and, sure enough, there was Alan along with a Dutch couple, who were also walking Offa's Dyke Path. It is surprising how many Dutch people come to Britain for walking holidays, but then there are no hills to climb in Holland, so the walking there is not as interesting. I have certainly met quite a number of Dutch people on this walk.
The landlady had recommended the Plough as a place to eat, mainly because it served food all week, whereas the Crown only served food on certain days, so I arranged to meet the others down there later on. I couldn't find the Plough, as I didn't walk far enough down the main road, but I had passed the Crown which was doing food anyway, so I set off back to tell the others and met Alan on the way. We didn't see the Dutch couple, as they had gone off to see if they could have their rather heavy luggage transferred to Bodfari. I had a Cumberland sausage, chips and mushy peas with some good Lees bitter with Alan and then the Dutch couple arrived. They had found the Plough and had a drink there but then decided to come to the Crown, as they had not found us in the Plough. Normally I like to stop at about three pints when I know I have a long walk the next day, but Alan persuaded me to have another. However, when the Dutchman wanted to buy one more I decided to opt out and left Alan there with them, whilst I headed back for my bed.
Day 11 - Saturday 13th July 2002 - Llandegla to Bodfari
Distance: 17.5 miles + 0.5 miles to B&B, Ascent: 3,400 ft + 460 ft to Foel Fenli and Moel Arthur summits
Accommodation: Swn yr Afon
I had a different sort of breakfast this morning. When I had booked on the phone I got the impression that the couple were vegetarians as they didn't do the usual fried breakfast. However, it is just that they prefer to serve healthy eating breakfasts instead. I had muesli, melon, ham and cheese omelette, croissants and toast which was all very nicely presented and served in the conservatory where I could get a view of the village street outside. The Dutch couple had been down here the previous evening to see if there was any way they could have their luggage taken to Bodfari as they were carrying a lot of camping and cooking equipment and the weight was far too much for a long day's walk. There was no actual luggage shuttle but the landlady was able to put them in touch with a man who would take it for £20. It seems like a lot of money, but when you consider that the distance is over 25 miles by road, entailing a round trip of over 50 miles probably taking about an hour and a half, it doesn't seem so bad, and it was £10 cheaper than the taxi fare. They called by whilst I was having breakfast with a mobile phone number, although I don't think the landlady wanted to know as she had only arranged things as a favour and didn't want to get involved any further.
The couple at Hand House had an interesting tale about accommodation for walkers. When they had just moved in to the derelict building with no windows and beams hanging down from the ceiling, they were descended upon by ten Offa's Dyke Path walkers from New York who had seen the place marked as an Inn on the map. They all had sleeping bags so the couple went off to get food from a takeaway, got some wine from the off-licence and got out a guitar for the evening's entertainment. The New Yorkers were extremely grateful and later wrote an article about the experience, which found its way into a magazine.
I set off at 9.10am and the weather was already hot as I crossed a few miles of farmland before coming to Moel-y-Plas, the first climb of the day. Some cloud came over as I was climbing, which saved me from getting too hot. There was very good visibility with Cadair Idris, the Arans and the whole of the Snowdonia range visible in the distance as well as a fine view of the ridge ahead with the Jubilee Tower on Moel Famau prominent. Alan caught up with me on Moel-y-Plas and we walked together as far as Foel Fenli, where I took the route over the summit and he took the official route round the side. There was some cloud around but the views were still extremely good.
West from Moel y Gelli Cadair Idris, 40 miles away, can be clearly seen left of centre
South from Foel Fenli Looking back down the southern end of the Clwydian Range
Path up to Jubilee Tower at the summit of Moel Famau This is the highest point of the Clwydian Range at 1,818 ft
At the Moel Famau car park there were a large number of people as this is a popular local beauty spot which is easily accessible by car, and this was a very fine day at a weekend. Alan passed me whilst I was writing up my diary and I then followed him up to the summit. This is the highest point of the Clwydian Range at 1,818 ft (554 Metres) so it gives a real panorama view with some plaques on the tower to aid identification of the various landmarks. By now some of the Snowdonian mountains had been obscured by cloud but Cadair Idris was still very clear 40 miles away and various buildings in Liverpool could be identified such as the two cathedrals and the Royal Liver Building, particularly with the aid of binoculars. I had been here several times before, but this was the clearest view I had seen.
After lunch with Alan and a multitude of other people at the summit, we walked together for the rest of the way to Bodfari. I was now back on home territory, so I knew that, although we had passed the highest point, there were still a few climbs left to come. However, there was a cool breeze on top of the hills and a little localised cloud giving some shelter from the heat of the sun, whilst not obscuring the marvellous views. This is a superb ridge walk, especially when the visibility was so good. Most of the views are of distant hills and mountains with the broad Vale of Clwyd down below, stretching down to the sea at Rhyl, with the finish at Prestatyn still hidden from view by the northernmost hills of the Clwydian Range. Further along the ridge it was just possible to make out the mountains of Cumbria on the horizon to the north about 70 or 80 miles away. Most of the way there is a good path, although it deteriorates on one or two steep sections, and the excellent views are mostly unobstructed.
Moel Arthur, one of the many hill forts in this area
Moel y Parc The path descends left to Bodfari, before Moel y Parc
Although this is quite a hard day's walk, it was no real hardship as the walk and the spectacular views were so rewarding. There were also a number of hill forts both on the way and nearby to add historic interest should one be feeling withdrawal symptoms at the loss of the dyke, which is now lost in obscurity some way to the east. After Moel Arthur and Penycloddiau, two of the hill forts, the path descends to Bodfari, which is on the main Denbigh to Mold road. Alan and I quenched our thirsts at the Downing Arms before Alan went off to the campsite nearby and I to my B&B half a mile up the road.
I had a nice relaxing bath and a rest before heading back down to the Downing Arms where I had arranged to meet Alan for a meal. There was a marvellous view of Moel y Parc from my bedroom window, brightly lit by the evening sunshine. This is the most northerly hill of the range before Bodfari with a large television mast over the other side, although Offa's Dyke Path drops down before reaching there.
It was quite busy in the pub, as it was Saturday night, but most of the people had been dining fairly early and it soon started thinning out so that we were able to get a table for a meal and a couple of pints.
Day 12 - Sunday 14th July 2002 - Bodfari to Prestatyn
Distance: 12 miles + 0.5 miles from B&B, Ascent: 2,250 ft
Accommodation: Home
I had breakfast at 8am, having arranged to meet Alan at 9.15 outside the pub so that we could walk together. In the washbasin in the bathroom I found a small bat, which had probably got in through an air vent. I had seen it the night before on the bathroom floor when I came back from the pub, but decided to leave it there, whereas now it was half way down the plug hole of the washbasin, so I thought I had better move it. It was very docile and didn't seem to mind being picked up and I gently placed it on the window ledge outside, where it stayed until I left.
Bat in Bodfari The bat was very docile as I moved it onto the window ledge
Alan was waiting as I came down the road and we started off up the steep ascent of Moel y Gaer that has a hill fort at the top, although the path skirts around to the east before reaching the fort. A few more gentle ups and downs lead to Cefn Du and then on to Moel Maenefa, which gives a fine view out to the west of the mountains of Snowdonian. Most of them were clear with the exception of Snowdon itself which, as is often the case, was covered in cloud. By walking a little way to the trig point, the view opened up in all directions with the coast now looking quite close at Rhyl, but Prestatyn still hidden by the hills. I have walked around these hills several times, as they only a few miles from home, but I have generally not taken the Offa's Dyke Path route for much of the way as there are other paths that offer better viewpoints. So when we set off from the trig point, I set off along a familiar path along the ridge rather than backtracking and dropping down to cross a field below. We soon realised that we were on the wrong path when we saw no waymarks on the next stile but then made the mistake of dropping down a steep, bracken covered hillside as a shortcut back to the Offa's Dyke Path. The bracken was so thick and tall that it was like fighting through a dense jungle and there were surprise attacks from patches of nettles hiding beneath the bracken in places. Eventually, we struggled to the bottom to join a minor road and then, after initially going the wrong way along the road, turned back and regained the path. Not surprisingly, Alan said that it was the last time he would rely on my navigation!
After crossing the busy A55 North Wales Expressway using the footbridge which was provided when the road was made into a dual carriageway, we soon dropped down into Rhuallt and the Smithy Arms which, being 11.50 on Sunday was still closed until noon. When they opened, I had a quick pint of John Smith's Extra Smooth, the first pint that wasn't real ale in the whole walk. This was because they had a problem with the cellar cooling which had affected their real ales. It was a very hot day, probably the hottest of the whole walk, so it was very refreshing and helped to replace some of the lost body fluids.
Another steep climb led us to a series of fields and lanes on the way towards the final ridge overlooking Prestatyn. There is a very nice hill with a hill fort, Y Foel, near Dyserth, which offers some fine views over the Vale of Clwyd, but Offa's Dyke Path passes it by to the east. Further along Craig Fawr, owned by the National Trust, affords another good viewpoint, but again is bypassed. This is presumably because the footpaths are not so well defined or, as often seems to be the case, the path takes the easy route rather than the most scenic route. Just before Ty Newydd we passed through a field with three abandoned cars, which didn't do anything to enhance the scenery. However, across the road, I was pleased to see that the field by the farm was dry and easy to cross. I have been here a few times after periods of wet weather, particularly in the winter and found it the most diabolical field to cross, with huge pools of mud and slurry near the bottom and the whole field deeply churned up by the hooves of cattle to such an extent that hardly any grass was growing, every hoof print was deep and filled with water making it extremely difficult to negotiate without all this coming over the tops of boots. Today, however, it was just a dry field with a reasonably even path running up it. (More recently, a fence has been erected to keep the cattle from the path, and this has improved the matter considerably, even in wet weather.)
West from Moel Maeneva Looking across the Vale of Clwyd towards the mountains of Snowdonia
Looking West along North Wales Coast from Tan-yr-allt The end is in sight - the seafront at Prestatyn is off to the right
At Offa's Dyke Path finishing stone Left to right: Me, Alan and the Dutch couple
Shortly we came out onto the edge of the ridge overlooking Meliden with the finish at Prestatyn in sight. Even at this stage the hard work was not over as the path climbs quite steeply before making its way down the cliff side into the town. We caught up with the Dutch couple along this stretch. They were struggling with their overweight packs that they had decided to carry, as it was not such a long day. Finally we entered the town on the last leg of the walk, down the High Street, over the railway bridge and down to the finish marker by the seafront, where we again met the Dutch couple. The only thing left to do to finish the walk was to wade out into the sea, although the the Dutchman took it a stage further and swam in the sea in his underwear, which was not as foolhardy as it may sound as it was still very hot and the water temperature was quite pleasant. After carrying such a heavy pack he must have been finding it even hotter than the rest of us.
My daughter Jen met us at the finish and, after photographs, handshakes and farewells, we went back home to our hotel, taking Alan with us as he was staying for the night before going on to Snowdonia to do some more walking.
After Thoughts
I had rather mixed feelings at the end of this walk, having found some sections to be through excellent walking country whilst others were rather tedious and uninteresting. There is little option as to which route the walk should take over large sections as this is dictated by the dyke itself, where it exists. It is just rather unfortunate that many sections of the path are covered by trees that completely obscure some very splendid scenery. There are other sections of the walk which are nowhere near any actual earthworks, either because they never existed as is the case near the start, or because they have been lost through the ravages of time, as in the latter part of the walk. In these cases, the path takes the most interesting or convenient route to fill in the gaps, although there are a number of occasions where a variation in the route may have been preferable in terms of the scenic beauty of the walk.
For my liking, there are rather too many miles along roads, albeit generally quiet ones, and also over low lying land with neither good views nor easy walking, but with innumerable stiles and much uneven ground. Nevertheless, there were also several days of excellent walking with a considerable variety of scenery and the added historical interest of the dyke itself and the many hill forts and castles along or close by the route. However, this is not a walk that I would be in a rush to do again in its entirety, but it has opened my eyes to a few stretches of excellent walking of which I was not previously aware and which I will revisit (as I already have done) for day walks. For long distance walking, though, I still have a preference for those trails which are predominantly high level, with considerable stretches above the altitude where there are many trees to obscure the view, where the paths are not churned up by farming activities, and where there is no dense vegetation to obstruct the way, nor too many stiles or gates to cause inconvenience.
(13/02/2007) Note: I have had comments from a few people about my assessment of this walk, which has caused me to have a rethink. I have probably been too critical at times, as my passion is for high level hill and mountain walking, and some parts of Offa's Dyke Path do not live up to this, as indeed is the case with sections of almost any long distance walk. However, many walkers do not need mountains for fulfilment and find this walk to be very enjoyable in its entirity - it is all a matter of personal opinion. As I live within an hour's drive of much of the Snowdonia National Park, as well as the Berwyn Mountains and the last four or five days of Offa's Dyke Path with some of its finest scenery, I am rather spoilt for magnificent walking country, so I am easily disappointed by some of the more prosaic scenery that is found in some parts of Offa's Dyke Path. Though not my favouite walk, I would still say that Offa's Dyke Path is well worth doing and I would also recommend anyone to complete the whole walk rather than just picking out the better parts, as I always feel that this is necessary to do the walk justice.
Photography and Technology
Over the years that I have been doing long distance walks, camera technology, Internet technology and display technology have developed by giant leaps from 35mm colour slides that had to be scanned to produce low quality digital images for the website up to the present day with high quality digital photography, almost unlimited memory and super fast broadband,
The article in the 'Other Items' section chronacles all of this throughout my walks.
