Offa’s Dyke from Kington to Knighton / Tref-y-Clawdd

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Offa’s Dyke from Kington to Knighton / Tref-y-Clawdd

By Ian Parri   

on December 9, 2020   No ratings yet.

Posted in Official Offa's Dyke Route

Offa’s Dyke from Kington to Knighton / Tref-y-Clawdd

Further Details

Route Summary:

A largely upland but not too strenuous section of the Path that offers up the best opportunity over the whole route to appreciate extensive well-preserved stretches of the Dyke itself.

Distance: 21.28 km

Ascent: 702 m

Time: 5hrs 30min

Timings are approximate and depend on the individual. Calculate the time using Naismith’s Rule and factor in your own pace.

Start and Finish: Kington to Knighton / Tref-y-Clawdd

Facilities:

There are no facilities along this section, although you can take a 3km detour off Granner Wood for food, drink and accommodation at the Harp Inn in Old Radnor. Buses run between New Radnor and Kington every couple of hours or so. Facilities abound at either end of the trail, with Knighton well served by bus services and infrequent but regular train services on the Heart of Wales line.

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Offa’s Dyke Guidebooks:

Offa’s Dyke from Kington to Knighton / Tref-y-Clawdd Ordnance Survey Map and GPX File Download

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Offa’s Dyke from Kington to Knighton / Tref-y-Clawdd

The fifth section of Offa’s Dyke from Kington to Knighton / Tref-y-Clawdd

Border country uplands

THE path climbs relentlessly out of Kington onto the wooded slopes of Bradnor Hill. Here you’ll cross Kington Golf Club, a course that boasts that it’s the highest in England. You’ll find the 8th tee near the 390m high summit, so they’ve probably a claim to the title.

Here you’re just a couple of kilometres from the border, with the Dyke itself to the north. You’ll meet up with it again on Rushock Hill, the first time the Path and the Dyke will have run parallel to each other since the Wye Valley 90km back. They accompany each other for most of the way between here and Chirk.

Soon you cross back into Wales and traverse the Coed Cadw/Woodland Trust site of mixed woodland at Granner Wood. Should you feel the need to rest or be fed, you could descend to the peculiarly-named village of Evenjobb and make your way for the Harp Inn in Old Radnor, 3km away, from where you’ll also find bus services back to Kington.

Dolley Old Bridge

Should you resist the temptation, the Path descends to the River Lugg – Afon Llugwy in Welsh – at Dolley Old Bridge near Discoed, a stupendous place to enjoy a packed lunch to the accompaniment of a concerto of birdsong and tinkling waters.

The Path ascends again up to Furrow and Hawthorn Hill, from where you can enjoy views westwards towards the village of Pilleth – whose name is thought to have derived from Pwll y Llethr, the “pool of the slope” – and a hill known as Bryn Glas standing above it. This was the site of a vicious battle in June 1402, sometimes known as the Battle of Pilleth Hill, where Owain Glyndŵr’s guerrillas slew a considerably larger English invasion force.

Descent into Knighton

An easy final descent brings you to Knighton, known in Welsh since at least the 13th century as Tref-y-Clawdd, sometimes shortened to Trefyclo, literally “The Town of the Dyke”.  It’s a pretty little place offering everything you’re likely to need.

It would be well worth your while popping into the Offa’s Dyke Centre, where you’ll learn everything that it’s possible to know about this ancient fortification. Another attraction, within easy walking distance on the outskirts of town, is the unique Spaceguard Centre, an observatory extraordinaire where they also keep an eye out for incoming asteroids that could destroy our planet. Or you could just chill out over a coffee or a pint!

Photo by amandabhslater on Foter.com / CC BY-SA

 

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Ian Parri

A journalist and author by trade, he has worked throughout Wales in print and broadcast journalism in both Welsh and English. He has a series of published travelogues to his name, one of which was a tongue-in-cheek journey along our country's back roads north to south nominated on the long list for Welsh Book of the Year. He loves the written word and travelling, and holds a deep fascination for Wales in all its multi-faceted aspects.Current editor of the Teith.io travel website.

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