Offa's Dyke Path North

On this long-distance trail enjoy varied scenery with a mix of open country, stunning mountain views, wooded valleys and plenty of wildlife. If you are a history buff then this would be very interesting for you as this trail reveals a rich tapestry of times gone by and the conflicts between the Welsh and the English. Depending on the itinerary you take, this route is rated anywhere between strenuous and strenuous to challenging. If you don't have time to complete the whole trail at once thi sis an ideal opportunity to split it into two in manageable sections, both time-wise and walking-wise.

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.

Solo Travellers, Families with Teens

The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years

The Offa's Dyke Path North passes through such a vast amount of varying landscapes, rolling hills, countryside, canal towpath's, wooded areas, riverside trails and moors. There will be long quite remote stretches, especially in the Welsh Marches. You will find that whilst there are not areas of very steep climbs that the accumulation of elevation gain and loss may prove tiring on some days, especially in the Vale of Clwyd.

The grade of this walk is moderate. Most walks are between 18 and 30km per day, but with average daily walking distance at 22km. You will be walking on a combination of terrain. The majority of the walking however will be on dedicated countryside trails. Sometimes you will walk on paths that are rooty and uneven and at other times they will be smooth. Canal towpaths are generally dirt trails but sometimes tarmacked. "Green Trails" will be part of the way too, so small roads usually with grass in the middle.

Because some of the areas on this route are very remote, we have specifically designed the itinerary to provide you with the best accommodations available. As a result of this, on occasion, some overnight stops are off the trail. These distances off the trail can be anything between 1-5km, but we have calculated the daily distances with this in mind. So, for example, when you walk to Llangollen, which is off the trail, the distance from Ruthin or Llandegla, which is where you will be walking from, is incorporated. By arranging the distance walked this way, there will be no surprises with extended walks to the accommodations.

Please bear in mind that as a result of this the distances in the guidebook will vary from what you will find on our itineraries.

There may also be occasions however where your distance takes you directly into a town on the trail but you may have to walk a bit further to reach your accommodation if they are not exactly in the centre of town.

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

If you require single rooms we would be happy to accommodate you although there is a single room supplement payable.

We welcome solo walkers on the Offa's Dyke, although you should, of course, take extra care in the outdoors when walking solo and you must have the ability to read a map and compass.

Meals

A hearty breakfast is included each morning. Most guesthouses and B&B’s offer a cooked breakfast, which should keep you going for the day.

Lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Most of your accommodations will be more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or nearby pubs and restaurants.

The Offa's Dyke Path is well waymarked and should be relatively easy to follow most of the time. Navigation is also straightforward as you can use the Macs Adventure Smartphone App which has maps and the GPS tracks. Simply download the GPS tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone with the assurance that navigation on this tour will be made simple and you cannot get lost. You will find more information on downloading the app in your Macs Adventure Account.

We will provide a guidebook, which you can also refer to.

This walking tour can be booked between March and October, although most people choose to walk from April onwards as the weather can be quite cool and unpredicable in March. If you have walked in the UK before however, you will know that anytime of year can be unpredictable, so you should always be prepared with the right gear.  Autumn can be a great time to walk as the path will not have as many people walking on it as the summer months. Spring and early summer are best times to see the flora along the way.

IMPORTANT - Please be aware we have closed off dates for booking between May and June on the Offa's Dyke path due to the Hay Festival taking place between 25 May to 3 June 2023. Unfortunately, there is no accommodation in the local area for these dates.

During the early Spring and late Autumn there is the potential of light snow cover in the Black Mountains, Clwydian Hills and in other areas on higher ground. At these times of year please come prepared for this.

To reach the start of your Offa's Dyke tour in Prestatyn there are regular direct trains from Manchester Piccadilly (1H40) were you can connect from many UK destinations. It is also possible to get from Liverpool in 1H20 by train and Cardiff in 2H30. Prestatyn is accessible from London in under 3H by train. Check National Rail for more information.

If you wish to drive there are plenty of car parks in Prestatyn. You would need to pay for the secure ones but there is also on street parking as long as you are not expecting to leave your car in the town centre.

Manchester Airport is the closest airport to Prestatyn. The journey by train takes about 2H20 and usually a change in Chester is required. You can also fly into any of the London Airports and take a train via Crewe.

When travelling home after your tour you can get from Knighton by rail as it has a train station. The closest large hub to Knighton is Birmingham which you can reach in approximately 2H. Please check the National Rail website for more details.

The closest airport to Knighton is Cardiff. You can fly from Cardiff to most UK locations. You can also fly from any of the London airports which are accessible by train.

If you have parked your car in Prestatyn you can return there by train. The journey time is just over 3H with 1 change.

Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.