Walking Offa's Dyke Path (North)

Walk the northern half of this 8th Century ancient monument including two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Clwydian Range and the Shropshire Hills.

Offa's Dyke path runs for 177 miles from the North Wales coast at Prestatyn to Chepstow on the Severn Estuary. The route, a National Trail since 1971 follows a wide border rampart, built by Offa, the King of Mercia, in the 8th century to protect his kingdom from his rivals in what is now Wales. The trail passes through eight counties. Our walk covers the Northern section of the trail from Prestatyn to Knighton and goes through two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Clwydian Range and the Shropshire Hills.

Walking southwards pass through the highest of the Clwydian Hills, Moel Famau the tallest at 554m is crowned with the remains of the Jubilee Tower and has views to Snowdonia and the Mersey estuary and Liverpool. Walk on heather clad hills and past Iron Age forts, before descending to World's End and arriving at the riverside town of Llangollen. Cross the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, after which the route then follows more closely the Welsh/English border, crossing several times on the way to Knighton.

Accommodation is in a mix of friendly guesthouses, pubs and hotels, some of which are off the main route of the Offa's Dyke Path.

Visa

United Kingdom

Travellers from the US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter the United Kingdom. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/united-kingdom
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/united-kingdom
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/UnitedKingdom.html

Vaccination

United Kingdom

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for polio, tetanus and rabies (bat lyssavirus). Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Eating and Drinking

All Breakfasts and 3 evening meals are included.

Try out traditional local country pubs for lunch or enjoy a picnic in the countryside. 
Sample local cuisine such as cawl, Welsh rarebit, laverbread, Welsh cakes, bara birth and the Glamorgan sausage. These dishes are regarded as symbols of Welsh food.

Weather

Summers in Wales tend to be slightly cooler than you might expect and winters can be milder, especially on the coast, while higher, upland areas have more chance of harsher (and colder) weather conditions. The warmest months to visit are from June through to August, although temperatures start to warm up around April and remain pleasant until October time. We advise you take waterproofs as rain / showers can occur at any time of year.

Is this trip for you?

Walking Conditions

Classification: Self-Guided
Activity Level: 2 (Leisurly/Moderate)
Average daily distance: 22km (13.5miles)
No. of days walking: 8
Terrain and route: Walks on this holiday are mainly on gentle up and down tracks. There is one tough section on the final day of walking in the Shropshire Hills.
Vehicle Support: This is a self-guided trip for those who prefer to walk independently, but with our assistance to take out the stress of the logistics and planning. We arrange your accommodation, provide you with route directions so that you can walk at your own pace, while your bags are transported from one hotel to the next.

Transfers will be used to get you to the start of some walks.

It is important that you are happy following route directions, we make these as accurate as possible and they are regularly checked.

As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There maybe others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. The routes directions contain a 24-hour emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies, the local agent is normally able to dispatch a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service.

This is a self-guided tour, as such there will be no group or tour leader and you are free to complete the walks at your own pace. We have suggested that 8yrs is the minimum age for this trip, but as it is self-guided and you will be leading your own family we will ultimately leave this decision up to you.

For those wanting to travel on their own there is a single supplement for the accommodation and where there is only one "solo" traveller on a particular departure there is also a solo traveller supplement.