Offa's Dyke National Trail (Geocoin)

Not heard of Offa's Dyke? A National Trail runs along its route, and we dropped off a special Geocoin. I hope you find it...

What is Offa's Dyke?

Offa's Dyke is an ancient earthwork that runs along the border between England and Wales.

Think 'Hadrian's Wall' but for England and Wales....and with a different history.

It gets its name from the Mercian King Offa, one of the great Anglo-Saxon leaders, who is said to have ordered its construction.

Although that would date to the 8th century, I have heard the archaeologists believe that at least part of the dyke is from a much earlier period, leading to speculation that the dyke was 'enhanced' by King Offa.

I've seen parts of Offa's Dyke nothing more than small mounds, but other sections are considerably higher, making this a very impressive man-made wall.

Offa's Dyke Path

Running along much of the remains of Offa's Dyke is Offa's Dyke Path.

Offa's Dyke Path is a National Trail. You can walk 177 miles 'coast to coast', starting at the River Severn estuary and walking to North Wales's shores.

According to the National Trail website, you could complete the trail in two weeks. You could of course do it in chunks as and when you can.

Geocaching and the National Trail

Of course, walking 177 miles with kids would be a challenge, and sometimes even the shortest walk can be a challenge. Still, we've found that Geocaching is a fantastic way to get the family out hiking.... and there are quite a few geocaches along the route.

We were honoured when the National Trail organisation asked us to place a special National Trail Geocoin in a cache hidden on Offa's Dyke Path.

We won't tell you where it is - that would be cheating...

All we're going to say is it's on the Shropshire / Wales border, the old Offa's Dyke border, to be precise.  😉