Offas Dyke - Oswestry to Welshpool (★★★★☆)

Today is the second day (of two) spent walking along Offa's Dyke Path, having done a section of that trail on the previous day, with a walk between Chirk and Oswestry.

Having stayed overnight in Oswestry, the day begins with the reverse of how the previous day had ended - with a walk from Oswestry to meet back up with the route of Offa's Dyke Path.

Here I once again use the footpaths heading across the Llanforda Estate - but this time I have mistakenly taken a busier road out from Oswestry  (the lower road towards the estate) - and whilst this road has a pavement (that lasts out as far as the footpath), it is overgrown which means a bit of waiting as cars go past).

But on the plus side this puts me on the lower of the paths across the Llanforda Estate - which proves to be another very good path - and the one I probably should have used all the way through to the very edge of Oswestry.

Heading across the Llandforda Estate

But once back on the trail, it is a short walk down to Tyn-y-coed - and then down a lane that heads up a ridge. And from here we head across the fields to Trefonen.

Once through Trefonen (where the locals are particularly friendly), the path once again heads across the fields, along a section of path that in all honesty was fairly forgettable - before heading south again past Ty-Canol.

Here the trail is following tracks that turn into grassy lanes, and then into footpaths, as we head up to the top of Moelydd Uchaf.

Turning into a grassy path now

From the top of the hill

Looking back along the ridge

There is a bench here, and it is a very nice spot to stop and have a rest - with the views very much surrounding you - but after a bit of a break we do eventually have to get going again, and start heading down off this ridge.

Here the route down off the ridge is a fairly long one, that eventually takes us to a road - from which we can drop more directly down into Nantmawr.

About to drop into Nantmawr

Here we briefly walk along a busier road - before we turn off to head across the fields, and meet up with a quiet road - which we then follow heading east.

This takes us on past the former path of the Tanat Valley Light Railway (it looks very overgrown right now) - which used to transport slate, agricultural produce and the occasional passenger between Llanyblodwel (to the south of Nantmawr) and Llangynog (to the west, and at the foot of the Berwyn range).

The route eventually saw reduced use, and closed to passengers in 1951, and then completely in 1964.

There are plans to restore the line, but these are currently focused on smaller scale projects around the Tanat Valley Light Railway visitor centre - with those needing to secure funding before serious thought can be put towards restoring the wider railway.

But having crossed this former railway line, we continue along the lane, and then turn off down a path - before crossing a busy road, and then another disused section of railway (here you must avoid tripping over the track).

From here we are starting to gain height - and soon take on a steep climb up to the ridge-edge of Llanymynech Hill.

Once at the top, our path follows the ridge around this hill - but with this being done within trees, on a route that runs along the perimeter of a golf course (that takes the prime spot in the centre of the hill).

And so, despite this position running along the edge of the ridge, this isn't a particularly great section of path until you reach the far side of the hill - when we finally get some views out over the surrounding countryside.

And on this far side, we also meet up with Asterley Rocks - where quarrying has left behind some rather interesting limestone cliff faces.

Asterley Rocks

View out from the ridge

And having made it round to the far side of Llanymynech Hill, it is now time for us to drop down off the ridge - and this is initially done on a path, before being finished along another quiet lane. And after a short section along this lane we reach a much busier road (but here we have a pavement and one of the famous Welsh 20mph zones - as we have reached the village of Llanymynech).

Here we have the chance to buy some food and drink - but also meet up with the Montgomery Canal. But although I am curious to explore this canal, the introduction to this canal is briefly delayed by a diversion along a section where a bridge is being added.

But in any case, the Montgomery Canal might not be as expected - as in it's current state it isn't much of a canal - and this is because it is only a partially restored canal, that cannot be navigated from end to end.

Historically it ran for 33 miles from the Llangollen Canal (at Frankton Junction - to the east of Oswestry), down to Newtown (to the south-west of Welshpool).

The canal formed part of the Shropshire Union Canal system - and was built in an area where the River Severn was too small to be navigable - with the River Severn running fairly close to the Montgomery Canal south of Oswestry.

In the first half the 20th century, the canal had been in decline for sometime - and eventually closed - but by the second half of the century, efforts were being made to restore the canal.

These days around 19 miles is navigable, but only around 7 of those miles are also connected to the wider canal network - with a target to restore the canal by 2029 (which would be the 750th anniversary of Newtown).

Today - as our path follows this canal - we get to see a mix of condition on the canal, with some parts looking like a normal canal, and others being full of weeds - but with most of the locks and infrastructure (and particularly the towpath) looking to be in very good condition.

A lock house along the canal

Coming to an overgrown section (there are many of these)

A Swan

Some Ducks

I had taken this canal off my list of planned walks - based upon it being mid restoration - but the towpath is very good, and it is a delightful walk, with the absence of boats seeming to contribute to an abundance of wildlife.

And so it is a little sad when we have to turn off the canal - and head through the village of Four Crosses, and then in an almost southerly direction, to meet up with the River Severn.

Heading towards the River Severn

In the past I have also looked at walking the River Severn - but ultimately decided that it was only worth walking as far as Shrewsbury - and this section of path would validate rather than weaken that decision.

The hills behind the River Severn are attractive to look at, but as we walk alongside the River Severn, I find this section to be the least enjoyable of the day - as we spend around an hour walking through the hay fields and cow fields that lie alongside the river.

By the end of this stretch, I'm starting to lose a bit of interest in the walk - and also starting to feel the impact of the stinging nettles I have encountered heading across all these fields (with this made worse by the grass of these hay fields rubbing against my legs).

Looking at the hills at the end of this stretch along the River Severn

But at the end of this stretch, we cut across the last of the fields, cross over the A483, and then meet back up with the Montgomery Canal - and here my mood improves again, now that we are back alongside the canal.

Here I decide that I must indeed come back and walk the length of the canal - and I would have rather stuck with the canal all this time, instead of dropping down to the River Severn.

From here, the route of the Offa's Dyke Path only follows the canal for so long, before it turns off and begins it's journey on past Montgomery to Knighton - but on this walk we are sticking with the canal, and finishing off our walk in Welshpool (at a later date we will repeat this stretch in reverse).

Still on the Offa's Dyke Path

And meeting some of the locals along the way

Having left the Offa's Dyke Path behind, we now have around two and a half miles left to do along the canal before we reach Welshpool, but I very much enjoy this section of the day - and my energy levels have been restored by the enjoyment of the walking (even the stinging nettles are long forgotten by now).

Off the trail, heading for Welshpool

Looking out towards where the Offa's Dyke Path has diverted to

Some of the basking fish

Unlike the earlier stretch, this section is navigable, but still cut off from the main canal network - and it is remarkable just how much wildlife can be found here.

There is a part of me that wonders if this means that harm will be done with the return of the boats - and maybe it is time to make canal boating cleaner (and more reliant on electricity than diesel and wood), to see if this can boost wildlife along the canals more generally.

But as we continue along the canal, the abundance of wildlife does drop off somewhat, as we enter the town - and as the canal starts to be surrounded by housing. But it is still a nice trip along the canal as we head through town, pop to the shops, and then head over to the train station - to wait for one of the very infrequent trains.

From here it's a bit too much of a journey for me to head home - and so instead I head up the line towards Telford - which will reduce the time spent travelling home tomorrow (I'm going via Birmingham).

Having reached the station at Telford Central - I find an area that reminds me more of Milton Keynes than anything else (this is not a compliment).

The whole area has been designed with the idea that any walking will be done through the Telford Centre (which is by now closed), and so I join the small groups of refugees making their way through the car parks round this large shopping complex, in the hope of reaching the other side.

Along the way, one of the groups coming from the other side stops me, and asks if they have any hopes of reaching McDonald's on the far side - and here I am at least able to provide help to others, who are also baffled by this hellscape (sorry, town).

Done again, I would probably either continue on to Birmingham, or fork out the extra money to stay in Shrewsbury - but at least it would have been very easy to stop off at the cinema, or for a spot of ten pin bowling, on my way to the hotel.

Total Distance: 23.1 miles (16.9 miles on Offa's Dyke Path)

Total Ascent: 1,775 feet (1,286 feet on Offa's Dyke Path)

Enjoyment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ★ / 5

The walking across the fields involves a few unavoidable stinging nettles (just through sheer frequency), and then lots of walking through fairly long grass - and so I did finish with fairly itchy legs. Going forward I plan to take anti-histamines with me to help here, but I would have rather not done the stretch along the River Severn (as you might have guessed from the writeup). Despite this, the highlights of the walk are good enough to make it enjoyable overall though. If the walk had finished without returning to the Montgomery Canal I would have probably only given it 3-stars - but on the Offa's Dyke Path you do get good bits and bad bits along the way

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 126 OS Landranger map - while there is also an Offa's Dyke guidebook which includes OS mapping (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in general well way-marked