Author Topic: Offa's Dyke Trip Blogg.  (Read 2830 times)

bricam2096

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Re: Offa's Dyke Trip Blogg.
« Reply #15 on: 18:32:59, 15/06/19 »
Finished Day 1 in Monmouth, very soggy underfoot, quite slippery at times with mud then a final steep descent into Monmouth through what can only be described as a mud bath.

Still, it only rained in the morning  :D
LDWs done - 32 in total including 16 National Trails and 3 C2C

Wainwrights 176
www.brians-walks.co.uk

rural roamer

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Re: Offa's Dyke Trip Blogg.
« Reply #16 on: 18:58:00, 15/06/19 »
We also only did N to S. I think the switchbacks around Knighton are testing whichever way. I was expecting Hay to Pandy to be much harder than it was but it helped that it was near the end of the walk rather than the beginning. We met quite a few people walking S to N but only one going same way as us and that was part of a LEJOG. Those we met said we were the only ones they had seen going our way, though from posts on here it’s not that unusual.

joncombe

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Re: Offa's Dyke Trip Blogg.
« Reply #17 on: 23:32:04, 15/06/19 »
Finished Day 1 in Monmouth, very soggy underfoot, quite slippery at times with mud then a final steep descent into Monmouth through what can only be described as a mud bath.

Still, it only rained in the morning  :D
I also did a section of the path today. Brompton Hall (A489, at the Blue Bell Hotel) to Knighton. I'm working my way south to north in general but the logistics of transport (I'm doing it as day walks, rather than in one go) mean that sometimes (as today) I have to do a stretch north to south. However I think this particular walk works better that way. You get the toughest part of the walk done first (in fact the guidebook I'm using, the official one), rates this section as the hardest.

On this walk you have a gentle-ish start for a couple of miles then the seriously up and down bits to the River Clun. After that you have one long climb out but then a few miles and flat-ish and very pleasant ridge walk with just one more hill before you begin the descent into Knighton.

Loved it, as I have with all the sections. As bricam2096 indicates the weather was far better than the forecast suggested. I had no rain at all and quite a bit of sunshine too. Though the recent heavy rain meant there were a few wet and muddy sections, more than you might ordinarily expect in mid-JUne but none that were impassible.

I drove to Welshpool then took the 81 bus to the Blue Bell Inn and walked to Knighton, returning to Welshpool by train (with a change at Shrewsbury). I only made the train because it was a few minutes late which is just as well because the next one was 5 hours later! The guard on the train was very helpful and sold me two tickets (Knighton to Shrewsbury and Shrewsbury to Welshpool) as this saves over £5 on buying a through ticket (for some reason). My back up plan if I missed it was to take a bus to Ludlow and trains back from there. Not only a hard section to walk but a hard section to plan!

Also pass the halfway point on this walk where there is a nice sign indicating 88 1/2 miles from both Chepstow and Prestatyn.

Lots of rivers in spate. Evidence of flooding from the bus, which had to drive along quite a number of slightly flooded roads and also from the train. Hopefully things will begin to dry out now that the forecast looks better for next week.

 

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