Offa's Dyke Path

5.0 out of 5 stars

A winning combination of Guide Book and Route Map booklet! Recommended!

I am a huge fan of Offa’s Dyke and have walked stretches of it off and on over the past 25 years, but have always hankered after walking the whole 177 mile course. Therefore, when I was offered a free copy of this guidebook to give my unbiased opinion on I relished the prospect. It is in fact two books-a guidebook and a 1:25,000 route map booklet.

The guidebook is excellent, it has in it all that you would want to guide you around the full course of the 177 miles. There is a route summary table for each day of 12 day’s walking (which covers from 10 ½ miles at its shortest stretch to 18 miles on the longest day) and obviously choose to walk these one after another or just select to do them on separate days all through the year or indeed all through your life. This route summary gives a start and end point to each route and also tells you the accent in metres and feet, and the time it should take you to cover each day’s walk. There is an excellent overall map showing you the course and the relative ascent on each day. Next is a “path trek planner” which gives you essential details like in information centres, hotels and bed and breakfasts, campsites with facilities, youth hostels, cafes and restaurants, pubs and hotel bars, shops and public transport all along the route all the way from Sedbury to Prestatyn.

There is an introduction section which gives you details on the history of the route, how it came about and interesting features along the way and then a section on “planning your trip” this also includes alternative itineraries which allow Offa’s Dyke Path to be walked in eight days if you really fit or 16 days if not quite so fit and/or want to take it leisurely and visit stuff along the way. There are also details about accommodation and facilities along the route, baggage transfer available and what you should take on your walk.

There is in a section called “planning day by day” which tells you how you should use this guide, what maps and GPS you should use, way marking, weather forecasts, phones and Wi-Fi and emergencies as well as categories on geology and landscape, plants and wildlife and border prehistory. That then follows a section on king Offa and the Dyke. And then the Welsh Marches after Offa.

Then each stage of the 12 stages is described in detail with the start and finish places including full ordnance survey map reference, the distance for this day, the ascent during this day, the time it take for this walk, what maps you should use, refreshments along the way, public transport, and accommodation. There is an excellent overall map at the start of each stage and a introduction to what is likely to be found along the way and then you get into the directions descriptions which are excellent and very clear with what things you can see and places you should visit along the route (including towns, villages and hamlets along the route). There are also more maps and more pictures all through each one of the stages. There are approximately 10 to 12 pages per stage.

There are a set of appendices giving details of local authorities, national parks, tourist information centres, accommodation booking and luggage transfer addresses and telephone numbers and email and website addresses as well as public transport information. Appendix B tells you accommodation along the route in more detail with again addresses telephone numbers and website addresses. The last section, appendix C gives a few words of Welsh and the English equivalent. And then there is a section on further reading.

The accompanying route map booklet is excellent and very clear ordnance survey quality shows you exactly the route through each page and what is nearby.

In summary, this guidebook and route map booklet combination is all you will possibly need to get you through the 177 mile walk of the Offa’s Dyke Path. I heartily recommend it!

Amazon Vine reviewer