I was fascinated with the area around Gladestry over 10 years ago. Perhaps it was the name, we had been working our way down from south Shropshire and an invitation to stay with an elderly relative in Bishopstone gave us the opportunity walk that area. Golden Valley and Llanthony Abbey, little did I know that I was right on the doorstep of one, Harry Cotterell, the great authority on country side access, who owns a large chunk of Offa's Dyke in his backyard on Garnons Hill. It is 10 miles away from your glutinous plod and deceptively well within the English border.
We were forced south west across the Wye over Bridge Sollars by the distinctive lack of ways to walk, but I did not make the mistake of expecting Offa's Dyke to lead me into the best of that terrain. It is a lovely area to explore, just take the map and find your own routes, distance and gradient to suit yourself, you cannot go wrong. So many surprises to find, you will see the Offa's Dyke hoards chuntering by on Hay to Kington's fictitious course that really should be the wending, winding bank of the Wye.
We remember with pleasure around Galdestry and beyond.