LEJOG
Distance walked – 22.1km (13.9miles)
Total Distance – 613.4km (383.4miles)
Spent some times in stormy weather
Under clouds of my dilemma
Super Furry Animals – The Man Don’t Give A
Today was our last day on Offa’s Dyke path and our last day of walking in Wales. I think it was one of the best days since we have started Offa’s Dyke path with an easy walk across remote Welsh border countryside. There were spectacular views above deep, twisting valleys and the path followed well preserved sections of Offa’s Dyke for long periods.
We stayed at the Royal Oak pub last night, which is a basic but excellent choice. As we had a shortish day in front of us, we decided to stay for the cooked breakfast and set off a bit later than we have been.
The chatty landlady regaled us with entertaining stories as we ate our breakfast. At one stage, she was enthusing about the benefits of living in Kington, which included not having to lock your house or cars because there was no crime. “Well apart from the two recent murders” she added.
Two recent murders! Had we chanced upon a real life Midsomer with homicides aplenty in a rural idyll?
She explained that it was only a man who killed his wife, and someone else that topped their brother, so nothing to worry about, and it certainly, in her opinion, didn’t take the shine off Kington’s unblemished crime record.
She went on to also tell us how the pub had recently been broken into. Luckily, she said, they only took all the spirits and the packets of crisps. Classy villains we commiserated.
By this stage we were checking our wallets and edging for the door. We hastily paid, thanked her for the hospitality, and headed out of the crime-ridden town.
The crooked way out of crooked Kington
As per usual, we climbed steeply out of the town, eventually attaining the lush common area of Bradnor Green. From here there were great views across to Hergest Ridge, which we crossed yesterday, with the Black Mountains still visible in the distance. The town of Kington was now far below us, nestled into the steep sided valley.
There was, luckily, no sign of the black dog of Hergest, a beast that allegedly haunts the area, and was possibly the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles, although Louisa was muttering about hearing some strange noises in the room last night.
Ancient copse
We crossed Kington Golf course, the highest course in Britain, making a group of golfers wait as we dawdled across the fairway (making them the highest delayed golfers in the UK). We passed a wonderful copse, before climbing two enormous fields filled with sheep. At the top, the view east into England was amazing, showing us the path ahead over the next few days. What was more surprising was that we suddenly realised we were standing on Offa’s dyke.
On the dyke
The dyke was very well preserved here, stretching as far as we could see across the high point of the hill. We set off along the top of the dyke and were soon joined by Chris, a fellow LEJOGger, who we have met a few times on our trip.
We spent the rest of the morning walking and chatting with Chris. It was great to get to know him and swap stories about walking.
Walking with Chris
The dyke was our intermittent companion, the path running alongside it or on top of it, before it would disappear, and then reappear on the next hill. We all agreed that it must have been a mighty symbol of power, as it ran across the landscape, visible from miles away.
Along the Dyke
At the start of the next steep climb, we bade farewell to Chris as he decided to stop for an early lunch break. We struggled up the hill and were rewarded at the top with the best views of the day. We have really enjoyed Offa’s Dyke path and would certainly recommend it as an excellent multi-day hike that is easy to walk and that crosses a great variety of different landscapes.
View from the top
We walked alongside the dyke several more times, before following the ancient mound down the hill, almost all the way into the market town of Knighton.
Descending on the dyke (checking the route)
The town of Knighton is an interesting town with an eclectic mixture of shops along the High Street and up into the area called The Narrows. After checking into our accommodation, The Red Lion, a wonderful B and B in an old pub, we went for a wander around the town. There is a guitar shop, an art gallery, a museum, a model train shop, lots of vintage shops and gift shops, three supermarkets and three barbers (maybe they are all hirsute, arty, train-loving guitarists?).
Proudly Welsh
It is clearly proudly Welsh, and so we settled in to enjoy our last night in Wales, before we set off back into England tomorrow and start working our way across the Midlands.
Knighton
Today’s route
