Our walking this year takes us basically to the England / Wales border area, as seen in the above map.  On May 19th we take the train from Edinburgh to Church Stretton.  The next day we start walking Wild Edric’s Way for five days ending in Ludlow.  A short train ride takes us to Chepstow where we start walking Offa’s Dyke Path on May 26th for eighteen days.  Then another train ride back from Prestatyn to Edinburgh on June 12th for a few more days before returning home.  Our walks have again, this year, been arranged through Contours Walking Holidays.

        Our Gamin map link for each day’s walk will be added to this page as well as a link to our pictures for that same day.  We are skipping blog pages this year.  Instead we will tell the story of the day using our pictures.  These postings will depend on having WiFi connections, so we ask your patience if there is not a daily update.  Hopefully you will use the Garmin map link, with its “Map Satellite View”, to see an overview of the area in which we are walking each day.

        During the 8th century, King Offa of Mercia ordered a great dyke to be built, stretching from sea to sea, to mark the western boundary of his kingdom with Wales. In places it is still visible as a bank up to 25 feet high with a deep ditch alongside. Beginning at Chepstow on the Severn Estuary, Offa's Dyke Path follows the course of this ancient earthwork to Prestatyn on the coast of North Wales.  The red line on the left map shows the location of our walk and the map on the right shows more detail of our route.

        Wild Edric was a Saxon who resisted the attempts of William the Conqueror to tame the borderland between lowland England and mountainous Wales. This superb walk explores the varied and beautiful scenery of Shropshire's hill country where Wild Edric fought the Normans.  The purple line on the left map shows the location of our walk and the map on the right shows more detail of our route.

May 16-18, Edinburgh photos

May 19th, train to Church Stretton, photos for May 19th

The GPS missed recording the first 30 minutes of train ride - no satellite connection

May 20th, walk to Bridges, photos for May 20th

May 21st, walk to Bishop’s Castle, photos for May 21st

May 22nd, walk to Clun, photos for May 22nd

May 23rd, walk to Stokesay, photos for May 23rd

May 24th, walk to Ludlow, photos for May 24th

May 25th, train to Chepstow, photos for May 25th

Unfortunately our wonky GPS deleted the train ride.

While our GPS seems to be consistently wonky and not creating an accurate picture of the day’s walk, we will continue to link whatever it produces and hope that is has some semblance of our real walk for the day.  We’ll stop mentioning that it is unreliable.

May 26th, walk 10 miles to St. Briavels, photos for May 26th

Today’s walk is in three parts, part A, part B & part C

The GPS was again wonky and shut down by itself missing 2 miles.

May 27th, walk 8.5 miles to Monmouth, photos for May 27th

May 28th, walk 11 miles to White Castle, photos for May 28th

Transfer by auto to Llangattock-Lingoed

May 29th, walk 9 miles to Longtown, photos for May 29th

May 30th, walk 13.8 miles to Hay-on-Wye, photos for May 30th

Transfer by taxi to Kington

The GPS was perfect today for the walk and taxi transfer.

May 31st, day in Hay-on-Wye, photos for May 31st

Transfer by taxi to Rhydspence

June 1st, walk 11.25 miles to Kington, photos for June 1st

The GPS was again perfect today for the walk and taxi transfer

June 2nd, walk 13.6 miles to Knighton, photos for June 2nd

June 3rd, walk 8 miles to Newcastle-on-Clun, photos for June 3rd

June 4th, walk 7 miles to Brompton Cross Roads, photos for June 4th

June 5th, walk 12.9 miles to Welshpool, photos for June 5th

June 6th, day in Welshpool, photos for June 6th

June 7th, walk 9.9 miles to Llanymynech, photos for June 7th

June 8th, walk 12 miles to Bronygarth, photos for June 8th

June 9th, walk 9.5 miles to Llangollen, photos for June 9th

June 10th, walk 14.6 to Clywd Gate, photos for June 10th

Transfer by auto to Llanferres

June 11th, transfer by auto to Clywd Gate

June 11th, walk 12.5 miles to Bodfari, photos for June 11th

June 12th, walk 13.25 miles to Prestatyn, photos for June 12th

June 13th, train to Edinburgh, photos for June 13th

In Edinburgh June 14th through June 16th

Wild Edric’s Way, England

Offa’s Dyke Path, Wales

   UK Albums 2014  

Subtitle -- Walking the Length of Wales

For Wild Edric’s Way we walked 51 miles and gained 8,200 feet of elevation

For Offa’s Dyke Path we walked 179 miles and gained 33,900 feet of elevation

==========================================