Offa's Dyke Path (north) Knighton to (nearly) Prestatyn

For a first long-distance path, Offa's Dyke turned out to be an excellent choice. It has a real variety of countryside and good camping facilities at the right intervals. The path is a National Trail following a defensive boundary coast to coast along the Welsh border. The whole Trail is 170 miles, but divides neatly into north and south parts at the visitor and exhibition centre at Knighton . We chose to walk the north part from Knighton northwards to Prestatyn (97 miles).


Being a man-made feature, it crosses a variety of terrain; hills, river plain, scree slopes, boggy moor, forest. The whole length of the dyke hasn't survived the centuries, but it is visible for much of the walk, and in places the ditch and mound is quite dramatic. As the days passed and the countryside changed, the presence of the dyke gave the walk a real sense of continuity and purpose.

We were lucky to have good weather, a tad too hot at times, a few showers, but generally excellent.

This is a great time of the year for walking. Honeysuckle, elderflower, cammomile were still out in flower, wild garlic made its presence felt occasionally, bilberries were ripening and wild strawberries were already ripe.

We chose to back-pack with tent, food, stove, buying meals on the way when possible. That meant heavy packs, which was a hindrance on the hillier sections.

This path is the best waymarked path that I've seen. It would be wrong to even think about attempting a walk relying on waymarkers alone - even on such a well-maintained route, they can be missing, defaced, overgrown or you can simply fail to spot one. I wouldn't go out on a walk now without 1:25,000 OS maps, but fortunately we discovered the National Trail guide, which for the price of one good book contains OS mapping for the whole route.

Day zero - arrived at Knighton with enough time to get to the first campsite at Pampwnton, back to Knighton for a meal and some extremely enjoyable entertainment from superb Elvis impersonator 'Eddie as Elvis'.

Things we learned today: When you want to finish your hot cocoa and go to sleep, an insulated mug is a real pain.

Day one - Pampwnton to Brompton Crossroads. 15m



Our first real day of this walk. This is the toughest section of this walk with regular steep climbs and descents. Fortunately, the mist soon cleared so that we could appreciate the long views over this very unspoiled part of the country.







The distance wouldn't have been such a problem but the heat and the weight of our packs made it tougher. Very relieved to arrive at a great campsite about half a mile away from the Trail.

Things we learned today: The doc-leaf trick really works. Walking south to north is great, because the sun is generally on your back rather than in your face, and the writing on the map is the right way up!

Day two - Brompton Crossroads to Four Crosses. 20m. Walking as if I'd just got off a horse. If yesterday's theme was many sheep and few trees, today was just the opposite. Thankfully this second leg is a flatter walk, much of it alongside the Severn, but the distance and the sun made it a challenge.



The Golden Lion at Four Crosses is highly recommended. Friendly owners, the lowest price we paid for camping, good facilities and informal live music in the pub in the evening.

Things we learned today: the dyke isn't apparent all the time, either because the path doesn't follow it, or because bits of it just aren't there any more. Other things such as river flood defences and dismantled railway lines can look like the dyke.

Day three - Four Crosses to Bronygarth. 16 1/2 miles. Walking as if a horse had just got off me. More rises and falls today and a variety of very picturesque countryside. A nice surprise when yesterday's flat river plain opened up below us as part of an expansive view.



This was a real nice day's walking, and would make a wonderful walk on its own.

Things we learned today: if a campsite is marked on the map, don't believe that it's really there unless you've also seen it in a guide and have phoned them to check. If a forest is marked on the map, bear in mind that trees can be cut down!

Day 4 - Bronygarth to Llandegla with detour to Llangollen - 17 1/2 miles.



The day starts close to Chirk Castle, which we'd spotted the day before. It's a castle that has been continuously inhabited since the thirteenth century. We took the optional path through the National Trust grounds, a permissive route that's only open during the summer.

At Froncysyllte you have to choose whether to follow the official Trail and get a great view of the 120-foot canal aqueduct, or to detour over the top of it. The walk across the top really is an exciting or scary walk depending on your head for heights.




It was a shame to unexpectedly lose the dyke today. The guide simply mentions that this is the last we'll see of the dyke with no further explanation. I think our path leaves the route of the dyke before Offer's Dyke merges with an older earthwork. The remaining part of the National Trail to the coast was simply devised by the pioneers of the Trail.

Today's route should have been 15 miles, but we added 2 1/2 miles by taking a trip into touristy Llangollen for some essential provisions. (Meths for the stove. My evening cocoa / cammomile tea was under threat.) For most part the route is very rural, and even when it does pass through villages, there is often nowhere to even buy water. In Llangollen however, we had no problem finding a camping shop and some good freshly-made cobs.

After Llangollen followed a very long afternoon. After some wonderful views of a ruined castle, we joined first minor road and then precarious path half-way up scree slopes, which to me didn't feel quite as safe as the guide assured us it was. It would have been more exhilarating, but the heat this afternoon was oppressive.



World's End is a very picturesque ford with stepping stones. This made a nice break between the long hot walk along the scree ledge and the long slow climb to follow. A few miles across moor and through forest would have been much more enjoyable were it not for the fatigue.

Things we've learned today: If the sun's on your back, make absolutely sure and double check that you've rubbed on sun-block properly. Wild strawberries are delicious, but you have to pick an awful lot of them to make the same amount as one cultivated strawberry.

Day five - Llandegla to Moel y Plas and half a day's rest. Now within 30 miles of our goal, Prestatyn, but we're both too tired and footsore to face the 17 1/2 miles we'd have to do today in order to make it before we have to set off for home on Saturday. The next two campsites are after 3 1/2 miles and 17 1/2 and so we decide to take the short option and then rest, hoping that we'd then recover enough to face the 14 mile walk across the Clwydians the next day to finish just 12 miles short of Prestatyn.

Moel y Plas is a beautiful location and an excellent campsite. It feels so remote, but is a natural lake used for fishing. The centre there serves wonderful food and the owners and staff went out of their way to look after us.

Things we learned today: how not to make soft and delicious camp-bread.

Day six - Moel y Plas to Bodfari over the Clwydian range. 14m. The last day of walking, and a fantastic day's walking over some great hills. For most of the way, the spectacular views were obscured by low cloud and rain. We were grateful for this in a way, as we'd been worried about doing this hilly section in the oppressive heat we'd experienced over the past few days. I'm not sure whether I'd rather have been dripping with sweat or dripping with rain, but I guess you can't choose.



The weather did mean that we were alone at the Jubilee Tower, which has a car park nearby and is usually teeming with visitors.



The weather had lifted by the time we were within sight of the sea. Even though we wouldn't reach Prestatyn, it was visible from the tops of the hills, which gave us some sense of completion.



The campsite at Bodfari, and the amazing menu at the nearby pub made our last night very comfortable.



Things we learned today: public transport is remarkably reliable.

More photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/shieladixon/sets/72157620847404897/

Long walk on a short night - Summer solstice 2009

The Summer solstice is the point in the year when the day length reaches a peak and the night is the shortest of the year. What better way to mark the occasion and enjoy the long dusk and very early dawn than a walk around South Derbyshire?

A cloudy day had looked like spoiling the occasion a little, but by the evening it had broken up a bit and at 10:45 the late dusk was brushed with some interesting formations. The evening and morning skies had very little red this year.

My viewpoints walk is a familiar route and just the right length to see the night through. We started the circular walk in Melbourne and walked towards St Brides and Robin Wood.



It gradually became too dark to take photographs, but a slight glimmer remained and we were still able to see the horizon all around right through until dawn. Unfortunately it was a new moon and so we didn't have any moonlight this year.

The darkness makes no difference to your sense of smell and we came across some wild chamomile and wild garlic, in both cases noticing the smell before spotting the plants.



When we first saw Bardon Church, it was quite distinct against the horizon.



Half-way up Breedon Hill, the view is wonderful and the light is starting to establish itself.



No floodlights on the church this year. I'm not sure whether they've stopped lighting it or whether we'd arrived too late.





It really did become light very quickly so we had clear views over Melbourne.

The Roaches

Walked: 24 May 2009
Distance: 13m
Terrain: muddy in lots of places, several steep climbs, but the views make it worthwhile.
Route: Starting at Gradback, follow the river to Danebridge, footpaths to Hangman's Stone and Lud's Church, then onto the Roaches and Ramshaw Rocks.

A well-known part of the Peak District, this is a beautiful route, with many points of interest. Today happened to be one of the finest of the year weatherwise, making an amazing day.





The tree under which we're standing, and whose magnificent trunk you can just see on the left of this picture is one of the biggest trees I've ever seen. It's a humbling experience standing within the vast dome that it makes.



Bluebells are still out and looking beautiful.


This is the old bridge at Danebridge


It is possible to nip up and walk out on top of Hangman's stone but I resisted the temptation today.


A very nice spot for coffee and cake.


One of the biggest surprises today was Lud's Church, which is a chasm and well worth taking a detour for.




This is the Roaches itself (themselves?), an edge with a wonderful view each side. From the trig point at its highest point, you can see Jodrell Bank





The water is Tittesworth Reservoir.


This view is looking back at the end of The Roaches. We have descended and are heading for Ramshaw Rocks.


Careful mapreading required here. Many paths head off in all directions, aren't always obvious, and the one we want goes through a couple of farms.


This is Ramshaw Rocks, apparently not as popular as the edge we've just been along, but still spectacular.




Looking down at the winking man. From the road, it's quite a convincing face, and as you drive past, he appears to wink at you. He really does!


The path back to Gradbach is again quite hard to follow, but eventually picks up a bridleway for a pleasant mile back to the start.

Hurrah for Sir George!

Distance: 7m
Walked: 26 April 2009

One of my favourite routes - alongside foremark reservoir, Calke Abbey, Ticknall, back by Scaddows Farm. By Foremark reservoir I saw my first may blossom, not particularly early this year.


The hunter-gatherer in me is really strong, I found this mushroom, which I felt sure was teh cultivated or field type, but it didn't quite match the descriptions in my pocket guide, which takes care to warn you not to eat anything unless it does fit a description perfectly. This one has white gills and no ring. All of the similar ones in the book had brown or pink gills and ring around the stem. I resisted eating it and carried it with me for a bit. When I stopped to crack open my flask, I had another look through the book and found it! The St George mushroom is creamy white, slightly brown top and no ring. So named because it pops up around St George's day, which was a few days ago. So I enjoyed it with my coffee! It has a slightly stronger taste than your usual cultivated mushroom, and I'll look out for these every spring now.



Perhaps the hunter in me is less strong than the gatherer. When I saw this little fella, I could only think 'Aaaahhh'. I did wonder whether it had mixy as it let me stand quite close and didn't seem bothered. But happily not. I tried to switch my camera to 'movie' but he casually hopped away before I got there.



Ash coming out in flower? Not quite, this is Rowan or Mountain Ash, I think, which is similar but unrelated. And flowers much earlier.


And these were my first bluebells, just after leaving the Calke estate to cross the fields to Ticknall.

Back to the Brecon Beacons

We last visited the Brecon Beacons two years ago. The most recent Trail magazine carries a 10.5 mile route in a different part of the National Park which seemed perfect for a promised sunny Easter Sunday.

The Beacon Way and Trail's route take you out from Glyntawe along the main road, which seems a little strange because there's a right of way marked quite clearly on the map just parallel to it which runs along this beautiful stretch of river. Something's not right here, though, because the landowner went out of his way to point out to us that, contrary to the map, there's no right of way through his land. He has marked out a permissive path, which allowed us to get around his yard and back onto our path, but the map and the farmer certainly disagree here.



I enjoyed the day. The 10.5 miles wasn't a problem, but the amount of climbing proved tough. Lots of walking in Derbyshire is no preparation for walking up hills in Wales.

This walk has some steep ascents almost straight away. The reward is views like this. Strangely, the Beacon Way goes parallel but follows the bottom of this edge, which I imagine makes a less strenuous but much less spectacular walk. It's no wonder that Trail's route takes you up onto the top.





The trig point here marks the highest point of the walk, (although theres a bit of downhill and some more steep climbing to come.)



Just beyond is the cairn at Fan Foel, with some great views all around. This shot looks back at the edge we've just walked along.



A little further is Picws Du, a high point with a great view of Llyn y Fan Fach, allegedly the lake featured in the legend of the Lady of the Lake:


The magazine promised some difficult navigation at this point. It suggests turning south and crossing boggy land with unmarked paths. (You can roam within the boundary of the National Park.) It wasn't anything like as difficult as suggested, and we were soon back on a fairly clearly-marked bridleway. The terrain here is very unusual. It's full of what look like small standing stones. Strata or fissures seem to run vertically, so as stones are exposed, they point to the sky.



The other unusual features here are shake holes. The ground is peppered with these little craters which are formed by water draining away into the ground and eroding the rock and soil - like a giant plug-hole in the ground.

More signs of spring

Walked: 29 March 2009
Distance: 8m

This is becoming a regular jaunt, Shellbrook to Moira, Donisthorpe, not quite to Measham, Oakthorpe and back to Shellbrook. Map is at the bottom of this post. This time I made it a bit shorter by parking at Shellbrook rather than starting from Ashby.

These daffs are really beautiful:


Hawthorn leaves are unfolding:


While its relative, blackthorn, is starting to flower.

Green shoots

Distance: 11m
Walked: 1 March 09

I've really let my walking slip. It's difficult to get motivated during the winter. But this morning, officially the first day of Spring, that changed. Contrary to the weather forecast, the sun was out and it really did feel like Spring. Seeing a few buds and leaves really did get the juices flowing again! this is Hawthorn, one of the first signs of Spring.



Here we hit a minor snag. That underwater stile and waypost is where the public right of way is. It hasn't been raining, and so this strange flood seemed odd. We couldn't see any reason for it (for example a blocked river), it was just a flooded field. Even more bizarrely, the water is marked on the map (and the dotted green line of the footpath goes through the water), so it seems to be reasonably permanent. Presumably it wasn't flooded when the waypost and stile were put there...? Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult to take a slight detour around the edge of the water.



A classic image of spring. Wool on legs.


I haven't identified this tree yet, but it has big pom-pom-like catkins with busy bees all over it.

Bakewell to Monsal Head

Distance: approx 6m
Walked 8 Feb 09

The Monsal Trail is an old railway line. They're often nicely-surfaced and great for walking at this time of the year - flat and not muddy. The snow today did make the veiws incredibly picturesque, and gave us the opportunity to warm up with a game of snowballs, but the price for that was that it was very slippery.




Monsal Head has to be one of the best views in the Peak District. All the better for being a little unexpected. The viaduct, which originally carried a railway, but is now a surfaced walking path, is fascinating. Imagine the valley without a viaduct, and then imagine someone proposing to build one across the valley. John Ruskin had a real rant about it, and he's quoted on an information board. his main beef seemed to be about making it easier for humans to get (unnecessarily) between Buxton and Bakewell. Ironically, the viaduct is now protected. I did find myself sympathising with the old curmudgeon; the viewpoint that this picture was taken from is a car park, so you can drive up, enjoy the view, enjoy a pint and drive home again. It's lucky that Ruskin couldn't forsee that. I can't help feeling that you should have to work for a view as good as this.

Once we'd arrived at this point, we made a little loop by walking (very tentatively) down to the viaduct (bottom left of this picture), over it, across the river where the buildings are on the right, and back up to this viewpoint again, before heading back to Bakewell along the railway line.

Rover Soar

Walked: 10 January 2009
Distance; 14.6 m

This walk starts at Diseworth and crosses a few fields before hitting Long Whatton. This is the intriguing church there. Usually, a church has a central original aisle, often with an aisle each side added later. Note that the tower here is not part of the central aisle, but the one that's to our right. I'm very curious about this asymmetry - was the tower added later and for some reason couldn't be added to the central part, or is the right-hand part with the tower the original part, and the two parts to the left added later?



After quite a bit of road walking, we arrive at the River Soar. The route of the river and our walk get a little bit convoluted here. The river flows behind us and in front of us, but we carry on walking along the road for a little bit, cross a field and join the Zouch Cut (a canal) before starting to walk along the river. The point where the cut joins the river is in the middle distance of this picture.


This is the cut. Notice the broken ice on the water. I had high hopes for the weather today but unfortunately this greyness was with us all day.





Anyone who knows me will know why I squealed with delight when I saw this boat:








We had thought of carrying on along the river, but we knew we wouldn't have the daylight and weren't prepared for a night walk. Therefore, we worked out a route which would get us back before dark, leaving the river here and going through Kegworth.



We approach the East Midlands Airport. We're right under the flight path here, and looking back at Kegworth.



Just before the airport, we arrived at the M1 motorway. On the bridge we used to cross the motorway we found this plaque and floral tribute. If you enlarge the picture you may be able to read the wording. It's for the people that died 20 years ago when a plane fell short of the airport and crashed on the motorway.


This is the motorway today. With airplanes coming in to land overhead, it was chillingly easy to imagine the crash scene.



There's no avoiding walking along the motorway for a little bit. This path actually goes parallel with and between the M1 and A453 - this path looks pleasant, but the noise isn't very relaxing! It's just a short stretch, before we cross the A453 and head towards the airport. It was already quite dark and so no more photos.


This walk goes quite close to Castle Donington. Today we avoided the town itself, and headed for the Airport perimeter. Although that's not a public right of way, the Airport authority have marked out the perimeter (and beyond) as a walking path. (For legal reasons, they have to close it for one day per year - I can't remember exactly, but I think it's late November.) There are leaflets describing the Airport Walk. For us today, it was a very convenient way to join us up with public rights of way south of the airport which will take us back to diseworth.