Offa’s Dyke, A Journey In Words And Pictures, by Jim Saunders (Gomer Press, £19.99) There could hardly be a better author for this gentle stroll over the historic earthwork along the Welsh border - Jim Saunders was the Offa’s Dyke Path Officer for 18 years.
And he lives in Knighton, the only town actually built on the dyke. He is a lover of photography, and good use of his full colour photographs is a notable feature of this hardback book, which accompanies a television series on Offa’s Dyke produced for BBC Wales.
Mr Saunders acted a series adviser for the programme which will be presented by Iolo Williams and Tessa Dunlop, and will be broadcast in the spring.
Brought up in Slough, he first applied unsuccessfully for the job of the manager of Offa’s Dyke Path in 1982.
“I just couldn’t get out fast enough,” he said. Knighton was, he said, the sort of place he had always wanted to live in, and managing the Offa’s Dyke Path was just the kind of job he always wanted to do.
Undeterred by his initial failure, he tried again in 1987 and landed the post, and made the move to Wales.
In the 144-page book Saunders takes us on a journey from south to north along the dyke and the Offa’s Dyke Path, which are not always the same thing, as for various reasons the path does not follow the dyke in some places.
In the manner of television programmes, he looks at Offa’s Dyke in a broad sense, for instance exploring the wildlife on the way, visiting interesting buildings, and meeting significant people. The text is chatty, rather like a television script.
Knighton and Clun area are fortunate in having one of the best stretches of the dyke, and Saunders says that the part deep in the south Shropshire hills is his favourite. Eventually and inevitably, he winds his way to Prestatyn and the sea.
His text and pictures are a breath of country air in a book.
By Toby Neal
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