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Offa's Dyke Path
Offa's Dyke Path
	Offa's Dyke Path signpost in Denbighshire
Length	177 mi (285 km)
Location	English / Welsh border
Established	1971
Designation	National Trail
Trailheads	Sedbury 51°37′57″N 2°38′54″W / 51.6324°N 2.6482°W; Prestatyn 53°20′32″N 3°24′45″W / 53.3423°N 3.4126°W
Use	Hiking
Elevation gain/loss	9,085 metres (29,806 ft)
Highest point	Hatterrall Ridge, 703 m (2,306 ft)
Season	All year

Offa's Dyke Path (Welsh: Llwybr Clawdd Offa) is a long-distance footpath loosely following the Wales–England border. Officially opened on 10 July 1971, by Lord Hunt, it is one of Britain's National Trails and draws walkers from throughout the world. About 60 miles (97 km) of the 177-mile (285 km) route either follows, or keeps close company with, the remnants of Offa's Dyke, an earthwork traditionally thought to have been constructed in the late 8th century on the orders of King Offa of Mercia.^[1]

Walking trail

Traveling south to north, starting by the Severn Estuary at Sedbury, near Chepstow, and finishing at Prestatyn on the north coast, the walk will take an average walker roughly 12 days to complete.^[2] Roughly following the border in parts, and elsewhere the ancient monument of Offa's Dyke, as well as natural features such as the Hatterrall Ridge, the Dyke Path passes through a variety of landscapes. The route traces the eastern edge of the Black Mountains, traverses Clun Forest, the Eglwyseg moors north of Llangollen and the Clwydian Range.

The route passes through the counties of Monmouthshire, Gloucestershire, Powys, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Wrexham, Denbighshire and Flintshire. The Welsh Marches (Marchia Wallie) is a term used to describe this border region between England and Wales, since it was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086.^[3]^[4] It passes through, or close to, the towns of Chepstow, Monmouth, Hay-on-Wye, Kington, Presteigne, Knighton, Montgomery, Welshpool and Oswestry, then in and around the North Wales towns and villages of Llangollen, Llandegla, Bodfari and Dyserth.

The half-way point of the path is marked by the Offa's Dyke Centre in Knighton (52°20′45″N 3°03′06″W / 52.3458°N 3.0517°W / 52.3458; -3.0517 (Offa's Dyke Centre)).^[5] There used to be around 600 stiles along the route, but many of these have now been replaced by kissing gates.

a certain vigorous king called Offa......had a great dyke built between Wales and Mercia from sea to sea.
— Asser

Route

Places on the route and highlights on or near the trail:^[3]

Chepstow to Monmouth

Sedbury Cliffs: Severn Estuary, Severn Bridge
Chepstow: Chepstow Castle, River Wye
View of Tintern Abbey from the Devil's Pulpit
Redbrook: Iron railway bridge
The Kymin naval temple

Monmouth to Hay-on-Wye

Monmouth: Monnow Bridge
White Castle
Llangattock Lingoed: St Cadoc's church
Pandy
Hatterrall Ridge is the highest point on the trail at 703 m (2,310 ft)
Black Mountains

Llanthony Priory

Hay-on-Wye to Knighton

Hay-on-Wye
Newchurch
Gladestry
Hergest Ridge with wild ponies, 425 m (1,390 ft)
Kington
Hawthorn Hill, 406 m (1,330 ft)

Knighton to Montgomery

Knighton: Offa's Dyke visitor centre
Panpunton Hill, 374 m (1,230 ft)
Cwm-Sanaham Hill 406 m (1,330 ft)
Llanfair Hill, highest point of the dyke at 430 m (1,410 ft)
Churchtown and Edenhope Hill

Montgomery to Llanymynech

Montgomery
Chirbury
Beacon Ring Iron Age hill fort (Caer Digoll)
Buttington
Alongside Montgomery Canal and dyke beside River Severn
Four Crosses

Llanymynech to Trevor

Llanymynech
Moelydd, 285 m (940 ft)
Trefonen
Oswestry old racecourse at Racecourse Common
Craignant
Chirk Castle
Llangollen Canal
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (World Heritage Site) over the River Dee

Trevor to Prestatyn

Trevor
Llangollen Castle
Eglwyseg Crags
Llandegla Forest (with mountain bike trails)
Llandegla
Clwydian Range of hills:
- Around Moel-y-Plas, 440 m (1,440 ft), Moel Llanfair, 447 m (1,470 ft), Moel Gyw, 467 m (1,530 ft) and Foel Fenlli, 511 m (1,680 ft)
- Moel Famau, 555 m (1,820 ft) and Jubilee Tower at summit
- Around Moel Dywyll, 472 m (1,550 ft), Moel Llys-y-Coed, 465 m (1,530 ft) and Moel Arthur, 455 m (1,490 ft)
- Penycloddiau hill fort at 440 m (1,440 ft)
Bodfari
Rhuallt
Prestatyn: Offa's Dyke Monument on the beach

Offa's Dyke Path

Legend

					Prestatyn
					A55 near St Asaph
					Bodfari
					Moel Famau
					A495 near Ruthin
					Llandegla Forest
					Llangollen Canal over Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
					A5 near Llangollen
					Chirk Castle near Chirk
					Llanymynech
					River Severn
					A458 near Welshpool
					Montgomery
					Knighton
					A44 at Kington
					Hay-on-Wye
					Hatterrall Ridge in the Black Mountains
					Llangattock Lingoed
					White Castle
					A40 at Monmouth
					Tintern Abbey
					A48 at Chepstow
					Sedbury Cliffs at River Severn

Sources^[6]

Promotion and media

Various bodies on either side of the border are collaborating on a sustainable tourism partnership, a principal focus of which is Walking with Offa, both on the trail but also in what has been dubbed Offa's Country i.e. in a corridor along the border.^[7]

The path was the focus of an episode of the Channel 4 program Britain's Ancient Tracks with Tony Robinson.

In June 2021, during the footpath's 50th year, an Offa's Dyke Rescue Fund was launched to restore eroded and other damaged parts of the route and to buy parts of the path at risk of sustained damage or negligence from local land owners. The fund is working in consultation with Cadw and English Heritage and the National Trail Unit.^[8]

On 22 August 2021, the BBC's Countryfile programme celebrated 50 years of the path.^[9]

References

^ "Offa's Dyke Path National Trail". Long Distance Walkers Association. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
^ "Distances". Offa's Dyke Association. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b Carter, Keith (2011). Offa's Dyke Path. Trailblazer Publications. ISBN 978-1-905864-35-5.
^ "A History of The Welsh Marches". ludlow.org.uk. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
^ "The Offa's Dyke Centre". Offa's Dyke Association. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
^ "Home page". Offa's Dyke Association. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
^ "Walking along an ancient border". BBC. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
^ Bentley, Charlotte (21 June 2021). "Rescue fund is launched to protect ancient monument, Heritage groups join forces to prevent 1,200-year-old Offa's Dyke from crumbling away". Shropshire Star. p. 3.
^ "Countryfile: Offa's Dyke Path". BBC One. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2024.