Join me on my adventure as I recently completed the Offa’s Dyke Path, a 177-mile (285 km) National Trail that follows the historic border between England and Wales. 🌳🏞️ This ancient route, named after King Offa, offered a unique blend of stunning landscapes, charming villages, and rich history.
Starting in Chepstow and ending in Prestatyn, I trekked through diverse terrains, from rolling hills to picturesque river valleys. Along the way, I discovered ancient castles, hillforts, and breathtaking vistas. 🚶🏼♀️🏰
Check out my updates and photos from this incredible journey! 📸🌟
🥾Offa’s Dyke Challenge ℹ️Stats - Day 1
Date: Wednesday 2nd August
Weather: rainy with thunderstorms ⛈️ and a little bit of sunshine ☀️
From: Sedbury Cliffs - Offa’s Dyke Starting Stone
Start time: 9am
To: about 2 miles before Monmouth
End time: 7.30pm
Terrain: undulating, muddy, on roads, through fields & forests, over bridges, a real mix!
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️ in the woods
Food: it was a mishmash of food today!! peanut butter on toast x4 slices, 2x tuna sandwiches, jelly snakes 🐍 , gluten free biscuits x2, naked bar, chocolate coved peanuts, vegan cookie, 3x tangerines 🍊, red grapes 🍇
🥾Miles: 18
🦶Steps: 48,205
Total miles completed: 18 miles according to the book/app. 23.3 miles according to my watch.
💰Costs: £0
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 7/10 - always love a good walk & talk.
Fatigue: 4/10 - not feeling too tired - it’s just my shoulders are hurting so much - my pack is so much heavier with all the food and water I’m carrying.
Ease of terrain: 5/10 - some lovely paths, through fields and forests, easy walking underfoot.
Challenges: the weather. It didn’t know what it wanted to do. Sometimes the sun was shining, then it would be raining then later on was thunder and lightning. Plus it was really humid so when we were wearing waterproofs, we were just sweating inside which was not that pleasant!
Highlights: getting to start the walk with Ellie @elliepalmtree (tough girl patron & tribe member) and having awesome adventure chats!
📍Chepstow to Monmouth
* Sedbury Cliffs: Severn Estuary, Severn Bridge
* Chepstow: Chepstow Castle, River Wye
* View of Tintern Abbey from the Devil's Pulpit
* Redbrook: Iron railway bridge
* The Kymin naval temple
🥾Offa’s Dyke Challenge ℹ️Stats - Day 2
Date: Thursday 3rd August
Weather: sunny with blue skies all day!
From: 2 miles before Monmouth
Start time: 8am
To: 2 miles past Pandy
End time: 7pm (stopped around 5pm ish for about an hour - to dry things in the sun)
Terrain: grassy, muddy, undulating, farm land - sheep and cows.
Walked with Toby & Faye
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: more snacky food today - granola bars, flap Jack, dark chocolate, mango, chocolate covered peanuts, fruit roll ups.
🥾Miles: 24.7 (included an extra mile when we walked to a pub (it was closed) and back
🦶Steps: 50,212
Total miles completed: 37.4
💰Costs: £0 🥳
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10 - awesome days walking and talking. So much fun! Plus we had Eddie the dog 🐶 walk with us!
Fatigue: 5/10 - I don’t feel super tired and I slept really well but I have a mouth ulcer - which is really strange and I don’t know if that’s showing me that I’m more tired/rundown than I thought I was?
Ease of terrain: 6/10 lots of ups and downs. It was tough going even without a pack!
Challenges: A bridge was down and the diversion signs had been washed away. We ended up walking through a field of cows 🐄 and then crossing a stream and climbing over a fence! But we made it back on the path!! My pack is sooo heavy!! I don’t even know how I carried it on the first day. It should be getting lighter with all the food I’ve eaten. But it seems to be heavier!!!
Highlights: Toby carried my backpack for me which was amazing 🤩. My hip bones and shoulders were killing me and it was so nice walking - carrying only my phone and GoPro! Made for a fabulous day!!
Watch the vlog below!
🥾Offa’s Dyke Challenge ℹ️Stats - Day 3
Date: Friday 4th August
Weather: sunny ☀️
From: 2 miles past Pandy
Start time: 8am
To: Newchurch
End time: 4.15pm - collected at 5pm
Terrain: flat grassy, stunning views across the valley, a few steep sections, through farmlands and forests. A little bit of road walking.
Accommodation: Airbnb in Weobly #gifted
Food: protein trek bar, dried mango, salted cashew nuts, oat bars, fruit roll ups. (I didn’t eat enough today)
Dinner 🍽️- burger (Hawaiian 🍍), chips & onion rings. Followed by chocolate fudge cake & cream (not gf) let’s see how my stomach is tomorrow! But it was delicious 😋
🥾Miles: 22 miles + 2 extra
🦶Steps: 49,192
Total miles completed: 58.2 (according to Hiiker)
💰Costs: £0 (food & Accommodation paid for by Toby 🙏)
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10 - another great day and awesome to be met at the end, have a hot shower and be taken out for dinner and put up in accommodation 🙏
Fatigue: 6/10 - felt wiped during the morning. Needed to stop and rest for an hour. Eat more food and then I was so much better in the afternoon
Ease of terrain: 5/10
Challenges: feeling tired during the morning. Otherwise all good.
Highlights: the first 14 miles were some of the prettiest walking I’ve done so far. Definitely a favourite part. Anyone thinking of running - will love this section. Plus I always love seeing wild ponies out in nature!
🥾Offa’s Dyke Challenge ℹ️Stats - Day 4
Walked with the legend Arry @youdontlooklikeadragon (first person to run around Wales 🏴 you can listen to Arry’s story on the Tough Girl Podcast
Date: Saturday 5th August
Weather: storm Antoni, rain 🌧️ rain 🌧️ more rain 🌧️ dark clouds, wind 💨 rain 🌧️ & finally dry!!
From: Newchurch - driven back by Toby in the am
Start time: 8.15 am
To: Knighton
End time: 7.30pm
Terrain: grassy fields, steep climbs, woods, past wildflowers, walked over the Dyke. Muddy sections.
Accommodation: stayed with Arry’s Brother 🏡- couch in front of the fire 🔥
Food: normal snacks - nuts, granola bars, dark chocolate etc
lunch 🍽️ jacket potato with tuna Mayo r& hot chocolate (thank you Arry for treating me ☺️)
Dinner 🍽️ 2x lamb steaks, with sweet potatoes, green beans, spinach 😋Desert / jelly & custard. jelly sweets & chocolate buttons.
🥾Miles: 27.8 miles
🦶Steps: 57,508
Total miles completed: 80 miles/178
💰Costs: food resupply for breakfast the following day £14.44 - bacon, sausage, eggs, 2x jelly snake sweets, GF macarons.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 10/10 🥳🥳🥳
Fatigue: 5/10
Ease of terrain: 8/10 - super tough day!
Challenges: the weather. It would have been a super miserable day if Arry hadn’t been there. No views, constant rain and cloud cover. Hard going at times.
Highlights: Meeting up with the legend Arry. Always a super fun day - so many great chats! Amazing lunch & dinner 😋 walking 27 miles!!! I don’t think I would have done that distance if it wasn’t for Arry 🙏
Watch the vlog below!
🥾Offa’s Dyke Challenge ℹ️Stats - Day 5
Date: Sunday 6th August
Weather: sunny & dry
From: Knighton - Offa’s Dyke visitor centre
Start time: 9.10am
To: close to Welshpool in the woods
End time: 8.30pm ish
Terrain: hilly, grassy, muddy, generally soft underfoot.
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: Breakfast- eggs, sausage & bacon. 😋Snacks throughout the day - jelly snacks, dark chocolate, granola bars, dried fruit roll ups, salted cashew nuts & peanuts.
🥾Miles: 29 miles
🦶Steps: 59,911
Total miles completed: 104/178
74 miles to go!!
To do in 8 days = last 3 days = 24.6 miles per day.
To do in 9 days = 4 more days = 18.5 miles per day.
Still not sure if I can make it in 8 days the terrain is tough going!!!
💰Costs: £0
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fatigue: 5/10 - just a whole general body ache. My mouth ulcer has gone - which is good news. But I do have a dry skin patch on my left wrist - where I wear my watch. So I’ve changed my watch to the other wrist.
Ease of terrain: 8/10 - super tough day a so many steep sections. It felt like I was always climbing or descending- no flat bits until the end of the day.
Challenges: Finding camping at the end do the day. Needed to walk an extra 4 miles to find a good spot.
Highlights: Good weather, stunning views. Being in 2 places at the same time - England 🏴 & Wales border! Plus passing the official half way point 🥳🥳🥳. Also pleased with the amount of miles done today.
🥾Offa’s Dyke Challenge ℹ️Stats - Day 6
Date: Monday 7th August
Weather: dry! (Finally)
From: close to Welshpool in the woods
Start time: 7.41am
To: a forest close to Selattyn Hill
End time: 8.15pm - took a few rest breaks today.
Terrain: incredibly wet fields in the am - got soaked up to my thighs. flat canal paths, muddy forests, little bit of road walking, lots of fields with cows 🐄 - the cows 🐄- I hate them!!!
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Food: 3x dark mint chocolate bars, fruit roll ups, granola bar, peanut butter on rice crackers, 3x pipers crisps. Cashew nuts, dark chocolate square. I definitely did not eat enough today.
🥾Miles: 27
🦶Steps: 55,859
Total miles completed: 128/178
50 miles till the finish! I think I should be able to do it in 8 days - depending on how tomorrow goes. 🤞
💰Costs: £4 - blackcurrant & water & 3x packs of crisps.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 5/10 - normal day - not much going on. Chatted to a few fellow hikers who were over from America 🇺🇸 doing the walk.
Fatigue: 3/10 - it’s getting easier - but I don’t have my hiker legs 100% yet… so it’s still hard to get the miles in.
Ease of terrain: 4/10 - much flatter today
Challenges: got to the pub in Trefonen - which opened at 5pm - but it doesn’t serve food on a Monday 🤷♀️ so I had 3 packed of GF crisps, charged my phone, and carried on for a few more miles.
Highlights: hmmmm probably getting the miles walked and it finally being dry while walking!!
Watch the vlog below!
🥾Offa’s Dyke Challenge ℹ️Stats - Day 7
Date: Tuesday 8th August
Weather: dry and warm ☀️
From: a forest close to Selattyn Hill
Start time: 6.30am
To: before moel Fenlli
End time: 9pm ish
Terrain: lots of ferns and semi steep banks. Gravel paths, grassy fields. Road walking,
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
🍽️Food: cashew nuts, dark chocolate 🍫
Breakfast @ local cafe 2x sausage, 2x bacon, 2x eggs, 2x harsh browns, beans & mushrooms. Athletic Greens powder (mixed with water)
4.50pm - Ice cream, blackcurrant juice drink, oaty flapjack, 2x fruit pastels, mint chocolate buttons, juice drink. - Not the most healthy choices I’ve made - but it’s all I wanted to eat and I made the best of what they had available.
🥾Miles: 30.1 miles
🦶Steps: 62,240
Calories burned 🔥3,025
Total miles completed: 155/178
23 to go! Let’s do this!! #finalpush
FYI - I’m really trying hard on this hike not to spend money as I’ve saving for an expensive challenge at the end of the year. I’ve got food with me - it’s just not that appealing to eat at the moment. But I know I should eat it rather than spending money on food I don’t need. However - today I needed the food and the energy
💰Costs: £9 breakfast - good decision. ✅
Food resupply £14.44 - crisps, juice drinks, fruit pastilles x3, GF cookies, wine gums x2, 2x flapjack, icecream, mint chocolate buttons, water.
Total costs today £23.44 - my most expensive day so far and all on food!!
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 5/10 a good day - an average day walking.
Fatigue: 8/10 - feeling wiped - could do with an afternoon nap in the sun.
Ease of terrain: 6/10 easier than other days - but still a tough hike.
Challenges: felt tired mid- morning. The miles were not coming very easily. Took quite a few breaks. More than I normally do. I needed to sit and stretch!
Highlights: making it to the local shop before it closed at 5pm. Eating all the food. 😋Having a cat come and cuddle me while eating. 🐈⬛
🥾Offa’s Dyke Challenge ℹ️Stats - Day 8 - the final day! 🥳
Date: Wednesday 9th August
Weather: hot 🥵 & sunny ☀️- I loved it - best day for weather so far
From: before moel Fenlli
Start time: 6.08am
To: Prestatyn - the end of the path!
End time: 4.22pm
Terrain: steep climbs, grassy lanes, fields with sheep 🐑, road walking.
Accommodation: home 🏡 my lovely bed 🛌 😀
Food: wine gums for breakfast…. 3x GF cookies… I don’t know why I ate so little today 🤷♀️. I wasn’t hungry - very strange. I did have a big dinner when I got home - sausages & avocado, feta salad, with beetroot & quinoa with peas.
🥾Miles: 26.7
🦶Steps: 52,312
Total miles completed: 178/178 - that’s how long the trail is. According to my Garmin watch I walked - 207.3 miles…
💰Costs: £0
🚗Mum & Dad came to collect me from Prestatyn
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10 - what a stunning day to finish with!
Fatigue: 6/10 - struggled in the morning and mid day. But a little recharge by sunbathing at 2.30pm was awesome
Ease of terrain: 6/10 - still a tough day. Lots of little steep climbs.
Challenges: the steep climbs…. I was sooooo slow going up!!! But made up time by running some of the downhill sections.
💨My face is a little wind burnt.
💦Running out of water at 11.30 am and not finding anywhere to fill it up till about 2pm - I was so thirsty and a little dehydrated!
Highlights: ⛰️running the downhill sections, ☀️sunbathing for an hour. Completing the loop of Wales 🏴
2022🏴Wales Coast Path - Chester to Chepstow done ✅ 870 miles (1,400km) in 50 days.
2023🏴🏴Offa’s Dyke Path - Sedbury Cliffs to Prestatyn ✅ 178 miles (285km) in 8 days.
1,048 miles in 58 days = average 18 miles per day.
❓Let me know if you have any specific questions about walking the path.
Watch the vlog below!
ℹ️ TOTAL Stats 🥾Offa’s Dyke Path - National Trail following the English-Welsh Border 🏴🏴
Days: 8
🗓️Dates: 2nd - 9th August
🚶🏼♀️🚶Walked with: Ellie, Toby & Faye, and Arry @youdontlooklikeadragon
From: Sedbury Cliffs, South Wales
To: Prestatyn, North Wales
Travel to start: 🚗Driven by Ellie
Travel home: 🚗collected by parents
🥾Total miles completed: 207 - daily miles 26
🥾Total Km: 332 - Average daily - 42
🦶Total Steps: 435,439 - Average Steps: 54,430
👣Longest day - Day 7 - 30 miles, 48k, 62,240 - From forest close to Selattyn Hill to Moel Fenlli
👣Shortest day - Day 1 - 18 miles, 29k, 48,205 - From Sedbury Cliffs to 2 miles before Monmouth
⏰Earliest start time: 6.08am - final day - day 8
⏰Latest start time: 9.10am - Day 5
⏰Earliest finish time: 4.15pm - Day 3 - meeting Toby & Faye for dinner
⏰Latest finish time: 9pm - Day 7 - 14hr 30 mins on feet.
Showers: 1 🚿
Elevation gain/loss: 9,085 metres (29,806 ft)
⛰️Highest point: Hatterrall Ridge, 703 m (2,306 ft)
💷Costs: Accommodation: £0 (Wild camped x5, Airbnb x1, couch x1, my bed x1)
💷Travel Costs: £0
💷Food Costs: £42 - Daily Cost £5.25. Resupply £33. Breakfast - cafe £9 🍽️
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
😀Enjoyment: (10 = best 1 = worst): 62/80 78%
😫Fatigue: (10 = fatigued, 1 = all good): 42/80 53%
⛰️Terrain: (10 =hardest terrain - 1 = easiest): 48/80 60%
Challenges: It was a lot harder walk than I was expecting. Compared to the previous hikes I’ve done recently this is one of the toughest.
Highlights:
🚶🏼♀️🚶Walking with so many different people.
💪I also felt really strong and fit on the hike and was really pleased with the big miles I was able to do plus finishing in eight days was a real bonus.🥳
Watch the full challenge below!
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