Offa's Dyke Path

Art, poetry and music inspired by Offa's Dyke Path

Offa’s Dyke Path wends its way through stunning landscapes on the edges of England and Wales, between Chepstow on the River Severn to Prestatyn on the North Wales coast.

The Path is inspired by, and closely follows, Offa’s Dyke for roughly 40 miles of its length. Dating back to the 8th century, the iconic earthwork monument of Offa’s Dyke stands up to eight metres high and was built on the command of King Offa as a divide between the two kingdoms. You can find out more about the Offa’s Dyke Ancient Monument by visiting the Offa’s Dyke Association website and visitor centre.

Today, on its journey from sea to sea, the Path weaves through the rolling valleys, heather-clad mountains and leafy woodlands of eight counties and three National Landscapes (The Wye Valley, The Shropshire Hills and The Clwydian Range & Dee Valley), as well as the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The panoramic views available throughout have led to international acclaim – it was even named one of the world’s greatest walks by Lonely Planet. The Path takes hikers through traditional rural towns and hamlets, home to cosy pubs, stunning landscapes and innumerable heritage hotspots. This rich diversity is why Offa’s Dyke Path remains one of Britain’s iconic long distance walking routes.

Art, poetry and music

The beauty of Offa’s Dyke Path has inspired artists for decades. As part of the celebrations for the 50^th anniversary of Offa’s Dyke Path artist Dan Llewelyn Hall produced a series of works inspired by the trail, called Walking with Offa. Associated with Walking with Offa a bilingual publication was produced featuring 14  poems by leading Welsh poets including, Poet Laureate of Wales, Ifor ap Glyn.  You can find out more about Dan Llywelyn Hall’s Walking with Offa / Cerdded Gydag Offa on the Offa’s Dyke Association website.

Six of the poems have been turned into a series of short films. These can be enjoyed on the Offa’s Dyke Path Facebook page.

The trail has also inspired music. One of the country’s finest harpists, Professor David Watkins composed a piece especially for Offa’s Dyke Path. The video shows Professor Watkins playing a Welsh sonata.

If you still need to be convinced about the inspirational beauty of Ofa’s Dyke Path then we thoroughly recommend watching Wonders of the Border on ITV X. Sean Fletcher, of Countryfile and Good Morning Britain fame) visits special people and places all along the trail.

You can also share you love of the trail, and see what others say about it through the Offa’s Dyke Path facebook page and the Long Distance Walkers Association, whose members shared their memories which were made into a leaflet.

And of course the best way to find out what it is really like is to get out there and experience it first hand. You never know you might also be inspired to write a poem or create a work of art.

Tintern's Wireworks Bridge reopens after refurbishment

The Wireworks Bridge at Tintern reopened on 26 May 2023 after being closed for a year for structural repairs. Work carried out included a full deck replacement, removing the old timber structure and replacing it with “much lighter” steel beams and “easier to maintain” lightweight wooden deck boards.  The bridge is very important link across the River Wye for walkers  and cyclists, and links to the Offa’s Dyke Path and its iconic viewpoint at Devils Pulpit, and for cyclists it links to the Wye Valley Greenway to Chepstow.

Wonders of the Border TV series

The Offa’s Dyke Path is to be the star of a new tv series being broadcast by ITV during April and May.

Sean Fletcher walking the Offa’s Dyke Path

Wonders of the Border will see Good Morning Britain and Countryfile presenter Sean Fletcher visit more than 50 locations along the 177 mile National Trail and meet some of the amazing variety of people who have made the borderlands between Wales and England their home.

The series will be broadcast on ITV Cymru Wales from 7.30pm on Thursday 15th April with a network broadcast of the six-part series planned for ITV viewers across the UK later in the year.

Prof. David Watkins, composing a new piece for Walking with Offa / Cerdded gydag Offa

One of the country’s finest harpists, here he is playing a Welsh sonata: