Offa's Dyke Path hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

Offa's Dyke Path is a National Trail along the border between Wales and England. It runs for 177 miles (285 km) from Sedbury Cliffs, above the Severn estuary near Chepstow, to the seafront at Prestatyn on the north coast of Wales. For long stretches it follows Offa's Dyke, the great earthwork that King Offa of Mercia had built in the 8th century, probably to mark the edge of his kingdom against the Welsh kingdoms to the west. The path opened in 1971. It passes through eight counties, crosses the border more than 20 times and links the Wye Valley, the Black Mountains in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park, the Shropshire Hills and the Clwydian Range. It is waymarked with the National Trail acorn, and most walkers go south to north.

The route

The path starts at a stone on Sedbury Cliffs, on the English side of the River Wye, and the Dyke itself appears within the first kilometre. The first day runs north along the wooded cliffs above the Wye, with the famous view down to Tintern Abbey from the Devil's Pulpit, crosses into Wales at Redbrook and climbs to the Kymin before Monmouth and its fortified Monnow Bridge. The next day crosses quiet Monmouthshire farmland and orchards, past White Castle, to Pandy at the foot of the Black Mountains.

From Pandy a long climb leads onto the Hatterrall Ridge, the border itself, and the highest point of the trail at about 700 m. The ridge path continues for some 18 km to Hay Bluff, then drops to Hay-on-Wye, the town of bookshops. After Hay the path crosses rolling hill country to Gladestry and over the open top of Hergest Ridge to Kington. From Kington to Knighton the path meets the Dyke again and follows it for long, well-preserved stretches; Knighton is close to halfway and has the Offa's Dyke Centre.

North of Knighton comes the switchback through the Shropshire Hills, a series of steep climbs and drops past the midway marker above Newcastle-on-Clun, to Brompton Crossroads near Montgomery. Then the land flattens: the path follows the Dyke across farmland to Beacon Hill and Buttington Bridge near Welshpool, and the River Severn and the Montgomery Canal to Llanymynech, where the main street is the border. Hills return with Llanymynech Hill, Moelydd and the old racecourse above Oswestry, and the path drops to the Ceiriog valley at Chirk Mill. The last stretch of the Dyke ends near Chirk Castle; beyond it the path crosses Thomas Telford's Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, runs under the limestone Eglwyseg crags and over moorland to Llandegla. The final two days follow the heather ridge of the Clwydian Range past Iron Age hillforts and the Jubilee Tower on Moel Famau, then smaller hills with views of the sea down to Prestatyn, where many walkers end by stepping into the water.

This guide follows the main route as mapped on OpenStreetMap and splits it into the 12 sections of the official National Trail plan, about 23.8 km each. Several of these stages end at a road junction or hamlet with few or no beds, so read the stage notes before you book.

When to walk Offa's Dyke Path

The path can be walked all year, but most people walk between April and October. Spring and early summer are best for flowers; July and August are the busiest months, and Hay-on-Wye is full during the Hay Festival in late May and early June. On the Hatterrall Ridge and in the Clwydian Range, mist, rain and strong wind are possible in any month, and in winter the ridges can be icy, the fields muddy and some small places closed. Parts of the Severn valley section flood in very wet weather.

How hard is it and how many days do you need?

Offa's Dyke Path is a moderate to hard walk with no technical sections, but it is long and there is a lot of climbing: the profile used here adds up to about 7,400 m of ascent. The National Trail plan has 12 days of 17 to 30 km. Many walkers take 14 to 16 days and split the longest stages, for example at Tintern, Llanthony, Gladestry, Newcastle-on-Clun, Llangollen and Clwyd Gate. The toughest day is generally reckoned to be the switchback from Knighton to Brompton Crossroads, not the mountain sections. Expect many stiles, gates and fields with livestock, and a steep, slippery descent into Prestatyn in the wet.

Booking and where to stay

You sleep in inns, B&Bs, small hotels, a few hostels and bunkhouses, and farm campsites. There are no huts and no general right to wild camp in England or Wales, so camp only on campsites or with the landowner's permission. Beds are few at several official stage ends: Pandy (the Lancaster Arms closes in 2026), Brompton Crossroads, Buttington Bridge, Chirk Mill, Llandegla and Bodfari, where there is no B&B at all. The usual solution is a host who collects you from the path and drops you back next morning, or a taxi to Montgomery, Welshpool, Chirk, Llangollen, Ruthin, Denbigh or Prestatyn; ask when you book, and book well ahead for May to September. Several walking-holiday companies listed on the National Trail website book rooms and carry bags between stops.

Getting there and away

Chepstow has a railway station with trains towards Cardiff, Newport and Gloucester; the start at Sedbury Cliffs is about 3 km from the town. Prestatyn is on the North Wales Coast railway towards Chester and Manchester, a short walk from the finish on the beach. Railway stations near the route at Abergavenny (for Pandy), Knighton, Welshpool, Chirk and Prestatyn make it easy to walk the path in parts. Local buses are infrequent in the border country and thin on Sundays; check times on Traveline Cymru before you rely on one.

Money and phone signal

Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but carry some cash for small farm B&Bs, honesty boxes and campsites. Cash machines and pharmacies are in the towns: Chepstow, Monmouth, Hay-on-Wye, Kington, Knighton, Welshpool, Chirk, Llangollen and Prestatyn. Shops are scarce between towns, and there is no shop at Pandy, Brompton Crossroads or Bodfari. Mobile signal is good in the towns but patchy in the deep valleys and on parts of the ridges; there is none at Capel-y-ffin below the Hatterrall Ridge.

What to pack

Waterproof jacket and trousers, warm layers for the ridges, boots with good grip for wet grass and mud, a map or offline map app (field junctions can be unclear), a first-aid and blister kit, and lunch and water for each day: cafés and pubs on the way keep short hours.

Safety

The Hatterrall Ridge and the Clwydian Range are high, open moorland: in mist, use your map and stay on the paved or improved path. Keep dogs on a lead near livestock, and if cattle threaten you, let your dog go. Do not walk on top of the Dyke, which is a scheduled ancient monument. In an emergency call 999 or 112 and ask for the Police, then Mountain Rescue; for urgent medical help that is not life-threatening call 111. Check the National Trail website for diversions before you go.