An Offa’s Dyke Path walking holiday takes you 177 miles from Chepstow to Prestatyn, tracing the line of Britain’s longest ancient monument. This National Trail follows the shifting border between England and Wales through castles, hill forts, market towns and mountain ridges, revealing two thousand years of shared history and landscape.
Highlights
As the leading specialists in Offa’s Dyke Path walking holidays, we have supported walkers on this National Trail since 1997. Our office sits at the very start of the route in Tintern, beneath Tintern Abbey in the Wye Valley. Few operators know this path as closely as we do.
An Offa’s Dyke Path walking holiday is a journey through constantly changing scenery. Norman strongholds such as Chepstow Castle, White Castle and Chirk Castle guard the borderlands. You cross open farmland in the Welsh Marches, climb the Black Mountains to Hatterrall Ridge, browse the bookshops of Hay-on-Wye and stride along the Clwydian Hills towards the Irish Sea.
We offer a wide range of itineraries, from gentle ten-mile days to more demanding high-mileage schedules. Walk the full 177-mile route, choose a half-path option, or complete the trail in sections. With carefully selected accommodation, daily luggage transfers and detailed route notes, you are free to focus on the walking. Your dedicated walk coordinator, Sarah, will guide you from first enquiry to your final day on the trail.
Beginning beside the River Severn at Chepstow, the trail climbs through woodland above the Wye Valley before joining the ancient earthwork attributed to King Offa. The path does not always follow the exact modern border, and in places the dyke itself disappears, adding a sense of mystery to the landscape.
North of Monmouth, the route rises into the Black Mountains, where wide skies and far-reaching views reward steady ascents. Beyond Knighton, often described as the midpoint of the trail, the scenery softens into the rolling farmland of Shropshire and Powys before climbing again over the Berwyn Mountains. The final stages traverse the broad grassy ridges of the Clwydian Hills, descending at last to the promenade at Prestatyn and the Irish Sea.
While rarely technical, the repeated ascents and descents make this a route of steady challenge. It is best suited to walkers with reasonable fitness who enjoy variety, space and a strong sense of journey.
Offa’s Dyke is believed to date from the 8th century, when King Offa of Mercia ordered a vast earthen boundary to be constructed between his kingdom and rival Welsh territories. Stretching for around 80 miles in its original form, it remains the longest ancient monument in Britain.
Yet this path is about more than one king. Bronze and Iron Age hill forts crown the hills. Medieval abbeys such as Llanthony Priory lie hidden in secluded valleys. At Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, you cross a UNESCO World Heritage Site high above the River Dee. In places you step repeatedly between England and Wales, often without noticing.
Few long-distance walks combine such depth of history with such varied terrain. Walking Offa’s Dyke Path is not simply a physical achievement. It is a continuous thread through the shared heritage, language and landscape of two nations.
Choose Your Walk
ODP0S-N
From £2,760 Per Person
From £1,970 Per Person
From £2,130 Per Person
From £1,920 Per Person
From £1,775 Per Person
From £1,620 Per Person
ODPXS-N
From £1,410 Per Person
8 Nights Moderate to Challenging
ODP3dS-N
From £1,075 Per Person
ODP0aS-N
From £1,410 Per Person
From £960 Per Person
From £905 Per Person
ODP4aS-N
From £750 Per Person
6 Nights Moderate to Challenging
ODP-CAS1
From £780 Per Person
ODP4dS-N
From £880 Per Person
9 Nights Moderate to Challenging
ODP5dS-N
From £1,270 Per Person
ODP0bS-N
From £1,485 Per Person
From £1,150 Per Person
From £1,010 Per Person
ODP0N-S
From £2,795 Per Person
From £2,010 Per Person
From £1,950 Per Person
From £1,805 Per Person
From £1,645 Per Person
ODP0bN-S
From £1,525 Per Person
From £1,180 Per Person
From £1,035 Per Person
ODP0aN-S
From £1,420 Per Person
From £980 Per Person
From £925 Per Person
3 Nights Moderate to Challenging
ODP-HAY1d
From £435 Per Person
3 Nights Moderate to Challenging
ODP-HAY1
From £425 Per Person
All itineraries can be walked north to south or south to north. Our standard options are shown on the website, but we are always happy to adjust routes to suit your plans. If you would prefer different daily mileages, additional rest days or a shorter section of the path, please get in touch. We will tailor your itinerary to match your time available, fitness level and preferences.
4.7/5 based on 436 reviews
"We chose this walk because we had done the southern half of Offa's Dyke some years ago and wanted to complete it. Transfers were all very good."
"We have hiked in many different parts of the world but never with a self guided walking holiday company. We appreciated the luggage transfer and the lovely b&b hosts we met a long the way. We enjoyed walking the ODP. We saw and learned a lot. We would love to finish the walk but would also like to explore another part of Wales."
"Fabulous! We noticed a marked improvement in our mental health"
"Good choice of accommodation, Very efficient office back up. Friendly"
"Really well organised trip, all ran smoothly, everything as expected. Directions clear."
"Very efficient and everything worked well."
"We received fabulous service before the hike: quick and very helpful responses to all questions! And the chosen lodgings and restaurant recommendations exceeded our expectations."
"Attention to details, efficient & reliable. cover most eventualities"
"Celtic Trails were reliable, good experienced company, taking our wishes into consideration, choosing the best possible accommodation, friendly, competent. We did this walk to complete the whole of Wales. We enjoyed the scenery, being in the outdoors with all the elements. Discovering parts of Wales you can only reach on foot."
We seek out the best accommodation of its type available
One of the defining moments of walking the Offa’s Dyke Path is the ascent into the Black Mountains. Along the way, you pass the striking ruins of Llanthony Priory, set deep within the valley, before climbing onto Hatterrall Ridge where far-reaching views open across the Welsh and English countryside.
This ridge is encountered on the Pandy to Hay-on-Wye section of our Offa’s Dyke Path itineraries that start or finish in Chepstow or at Chepstow Bridge.
The Welsh border town of Hay-on-Wye, often simply known as ‘Hay’, is famed for its independent and second-hand bookshops, as well as its internationally renowned literary festival, once described by Bill Clinton as “a festival for the mind”. The town has a strong and distinctive identity, even declaring itself an independent kingdom in the 1970s, albeit as a light-hearted publicity gesture.
Hay-on-Wye features on many of our itineraries and is a popular location for walkers enjoying a rest day on the Offa’s Dyke Path.
When Judy Gregory set out to walk the Offa’s Dyke Path, it was more than just a holiday. It was heritage, challenge, curiosity, and somewhere along the way, confidence.
This is a guest article written by one of our walkers on the Offa’s Dyke Path, Suzanne Schlosberg.
All itineraries can be walked north to south or south to north. Our standard options are shown on the website, but we are always happy to adjust routes to suit your plans. If you would prefer different daily mileages, additional rest days or a shorter section of the path, please get in touch. We will tailor your itinerary to match your time available, fitness level and preferences.
All itineraries can be walked north to south or south to north. Our standard options are shown on the website, but we are always happy to adjust routes to suit your plans. If you would prefer different daily mileages, additional rest days or a shorter section of the path, please get in touch. We will tailor your itinerary to match your time available, fitness level and preferences.
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