Walking Offa's Dyke

I have set myself a new challenge. Even for this 72 year old it's achievable, though how long it might take is anybody's guess.  I'm going to walk the length of Offa's Dyke. 

Offa's Dyke was the creation of the 8th Century King Offa, who had it built to mark the border between his kingdom of Mercia and the marauding Welsh. 1200 years later, enough of it survives to define a 177 mile footpath that stretches from the River Severn in the south to Prestatyn in the north.

Since I live a mere 6½ miles from the southern section of the Dyke, the first bit will be easy.  Indeed, at the conclusion of the walk I'm about to describe, I'll have already walked most of it.  

Further from home things will get more tricky. Two cars would be useful, for then one could be left at the end of each day's walk and the other driven to the beginning, but unless Great Uncle Bulgaria leaves me a lot of money in his will, we're stuck with one car. Consequently, I envisage a series of out-and-back walks, probably as far north as Kington. After that?... well let's see. 

Here I am at the beginning of the Path. The sun shone, but yellow jacket and (unseen) waterproof leggings show that I was expecting heavy rain.  

Here's a little detail that adds to the amusement of Offa's Dyke.  According to this sign on Sedbury Cliffs, the path is 165 miles long. The official National Trails website says it's 177 miles, whilst a sign in Chepstow claims it to be 182 miles! 

 

 

By standing on the marker stone I was able to snap this view of the River Severn and the original Severn Bridge.  And look... blue sky!  I wonder whether it will last?

 

Looking for all the world like an old railway embankment, this was my first view of Kinig Offa's 1200 year-old Dyke.
 

 

Soon the path swings west to follow the River Wye. As you can see, the land on the Welsh side is being redeveloped.  It once looked like this...

The structure at the top of this old photo was Isambard Kingdom Brunel's tubular suspension bridge, a prototype for his famous Royal Albert Bridge across the Tamar at Saltash. The Chepstow bridge was extensively rebuilt in 1962, but its name lives on in these oddly-named Tubular Cottages on the Offa's Dyke path.

 

 

Soon I will be out in open countryside, but for now the path threads its uninspiring way through the streets and footpaths of Tutshill. I did, however, get this nice view of Chepstow Castle.

Behind the scaffolding stands Tutshill Lookout Tower. Depending on which website one consults, it's either of Anglo-Saxon origin or built in the 16th century. Either way, it's getting some much-needed TLC.

In a far superior state of repair is this splendid residence – Penmoel. I think this woman could be happy living there, though I don't envy its owners the job of maintaining it... or even cleaning it for that matter.  In 2016 I could have snapped it up for a mere £1½ million. The Offa's Dyke path runs behind the wall in the foreground.

The long-expected downpour finally materialised just beyond Penmoel. It was here, at the beginning of the Tidenham Section of the Dyke, that I left the path and took a precipitously steep path to join the Wye Valley Greenway. 

And so, for the second time in as many weeks, I walked through Tidenham Tunnel on my way back to Sedbury.  It really is quite dark in there, but I wasn't complaining. It doesn't rain in tunnels!