In late September 2024 I flew to Manchester in the UK. After purchasing a rail card I took the train to Litchfield to explore the town and its lovely unique 3-spired cathedral. After a 2-day stay I headed to Prestatyn, Wales. This is the start point for hikers intending to hike the 177 mile long Offa's Dyke trail from north to south. I planned to hike only the northern half of the trail from Prestatyn to Knighton, a distance of about 90 miles. The trail closely follow's an earthen dyke ordered built on the border between England and Wales by King Offa in the 8th Century. At this time the Romans had left Britain and the Normans hadn't yet invaded (in 1066) and Britain was controlled by the Anglo-Saxons who were located in several kingdoms, all contesting for dominance and superiority. Offa was the king of the large and powerful kingdom of Mercia which bordered the area that is now Wales, and he ordered that an earthen dyke be built along the border of the two areas in order to keep the Welsh at bay. I can't imagine how many men and how much effort went into the construction of this earthen dyke! When originally built the dyke was 27 meters wide and 8 meters high from the bottom of a ditch (on the Wales side) to the top of the bank. Offa's Dyke path roughly follows the location of the original dyke. Because it was earthen, most of the dyke is no longer visible on the landscape, but in some places you can see the ditch or remains of the dyke. The next day after arriving in Prestatyn I started hiking 13 miles to my first destination, the town of Bodfari. The day was a beautiful one for hiking. I crossed lots of stiles and saw beautiful landscapes of the Northern Wales countryside. Hiking the next day from Moel-Y-Parc to Bwlch Penbarra, an 8 mile hike, was both scenically spectacular but strenuous as I had to ascend and then descend 3 high hills - Pen-Y-Cloddiau, Moel Arthur, and Moel Famau -- as I hiked through the Clwydian Hills. Many of the high hills in this region (called "Moels" in Welsh) were the location of Iron Age hill forts, about 30 in number. The rest of the hike was characterized by views of lovely landscapes, several bouts of heavy rain, and one unexpected fall on wet cobblestones on day 8, which resulted in an injury which restricted my ability to walk long distances, but I eventually made it to my intended final destination, the town of Knighton. Some of the highlights of the rest of the hike included: Exploring Castell Dinas Bran, a medieval fortress built in 1260 located on a hill above Llangolen, seeing Plas Newydd (the home of the famous Ladies of Llangolen), hiking on the towpath of the Llangolen Canal from Llangolen to Trefonen, walking across the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct spanning the River Dee, visiting Chirk Castle, walking along the towpath of the Montgomery Canal from Llanmynech to Moors Farm (my favorite accomodation on the trip), spending much of a day exploring Powys Castle in Welshpool and seeing the centuries-old yew trees pruned and sculpted into wonderful topiary, and exploring the ruins of Montgomery Castle.
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| Wooden stile |
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