Offa’s Dyke Path Days 7 to 12

Yesterday I finished the walk, arriving at Prestatyn, a holiday town on the Irish Sea.

The weather during the second half of the walk was wonderful—no rain, warm, every day a mix of sun and cloud. Ironically, this morning walking to the station for the train to Manchester the weather was cold with low cloud and drizzle. Perhaps the gods wanted to make sure I understood how generous they had been.

Like the first half, the days were varied. A large part was walking in fields with endless gates to open and shut, stiles to climb and farm animals who always listened to whatever I had to say. I was growing a bored with the fields by the end of the first half of the walk, but in the second half I discovered that I enjoyed the open space and the simple routine of entering each new field, trying to discover where the gate to the next field was located and seeing how this new flock of sheep or herd of cows would respond to me.

It wasn’t all fields. There were days high in heather hills, forests (actually tree farms, all the old growth has been cut), canals, and a day with a long stretch across a scree slope beneath rocky cliffs.

A couple of days I walked with Rob, an English hiker, but he was doing the walk in a day less than me; we eventually parted when he had a longer stage. I missed his company but I also enjoyed solitude.

The walk went by quickly. It is different from the alpine and pilgrimage walks I’ve done, and took a few days to appreciate, but it is one of the best.

Photo gallery, no photos featuring cows or sheep…

Trees and a hiker on the dyke

Lime kiln from the 1800s in Llanymynech

Recreational canal boats

Aqueduct carrying the canal 40 m above a river

Narrow towpath and canal on the aqueduct. The towpath is part of the walk.

Path across a scree slope

Paved path across boggy area in heather

Green hills

Path in the hills

Ancient burial mound atop a hill

Another gate and field ahead

Stile with a dog gate

Stone Stile

A sculpture at the seaside in Prestatyn marking the end of the walk

Boots in the Irish Sea