A step back in time along Offa's Dyke

A grassy pathway through history along Offa’s Dyke, named after the Anglo-Saxon king of Mercia.

A step back in time along Offa's Dyke

This ancient earthwork runs between England and Wales, and I was able to enjoy some late evening sunshine on the section near Bishop’s Castle.

The dyke is recognised as one of the most remarkable structures in Britain, built during a time of great unrest along the border.

It required the efforts of thousands of men but Offa never lived to see it completed.

He died fighting the Welsh in AD 796 as he was trying to establish a final link in the dyke to the Irish Sea in the north.

Today, this is an area of great peace and tranquility, far removed from those troubled times.

On the evening I visited the only sounds to be heard were the bleating of sheep in a nearby field and the call of a buzzard overhead. 

Stretching across the horizon can be seen the Kerry Ridgeway, an ancient trading route along which animals were driven from Wales to be sold in markets as far away as London.

This is wonderful walking country, and the 285km Offa's Dyke Path offers a magical journey between the Severn Estuary and the Noth Wales Coast.

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