Publisher's information 2008
Wat's Dyke Way is a 61 mile linear walking trail that runs through the border country between England and North Wales. It starts in the Shropshire village of Llanymynech on the English and Welsh Border and ends at the ruins of Basingwerk Abbey at Holywell in Flintshire, near the Dee Estuary.
The trail is based on the course of Wat's Dyke, a tall bank and ditch, thought to have been dug for the Saxon rulers of Mercia, to protect their boundary with North Wales. Until recently, Wat's Dyke has been a neglected landmark, overshadowed by its better-known neighbour Offa's Dyke, but it is one of the largest archaeological monuments in Britain and many sections are well-preserved.
This guide book has been designed to give all the information you would need to plan and walk the trail:
Detailed route directions
Points of interest along the route
History of Wat's dyke
This book is far more than just a walking guide as it is packed with historical information. Each chapter is liberally laced with italicised interpretive sections about features along the route, and includes a large section on the history of the Dyke itself. The urban sections through the towns of Oswestry, Wrexham and Holywell are also imaginatively interpreted, drawing out the rich history of each town, which greatly adds to the overall story of life on the English and Welsh borders. There is plenty here to interest the armchair walker as well as those wanting a fresh walking experience.
