Offa's Dyke Path South

Tour Type:

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!

Activity:

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

Activity Level & Terrain

The Offa's Dyke Path South passes through such a vast amount of varying landscapes, rolling hills, escarpments, ridges, countryside, 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. The most challenging parts of this section will be in the Black Mountains.

The grade of this walk is moderate. Most walks are between 13 and 24km per day, but with average daily walking distance at 20km. 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.

Navigation

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.

• Overnights in B&B's, guest houses, small hotels
• Breakfast
• Luggage Transfers
• Detailed Information Pack, guidebook and maps
• GPX tracks and access to our GPS Macs Adventure smartphone app
• 24/7 telephone support from our UK office

• Travel Insurance (required)
• Travel to Knighton
• Travel from Chepstow
• Lunches, dinners, snacks & drinks
• Taxi transfers or public transport should you need to skip a stage
• Personal Equipment

• Additional Nights, before, during or after the walk

When To Go

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.

Getting to the Start

When travelling to the beginning of your tour you can reach 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.

Getting from the End

When travelling home after your tour you can get from Chepstow by train. To London journey time is 2H30, to Cardiff 45 minutes and Manchester in 4H. These are all approximate times depending on the scheduling and how many changes there are. Please check the National Rail website for more details.

The closest airport to Chepstow 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 approximately 4H with about 2 changes, probably in Newport and Crewe.

Luggage Transfer

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.

General Information

Please bear in mind that the daily distances for the walks also include the extra walking to the town/village/hamlet where your accommodation is located. 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.

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.

Equipment

Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen etc. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walk boots, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a daypack.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.