Offa's Dyke on top wall walks list
When asked to name some of the most famous barriers in the world, people would no doubt bring up the likes of the Berlin Wall and the Great Wall of China.
But now Offa's Dyke, which runs along the Powys/Shropshire border, is taking its place alongside them after making it on to the shortlist of the top wall walks in the world by travel guide Lonely Planet.
Offa's Dyke, which takes in towns like Knighton – home of the Offa's Dyke visitor centre – and Oswestry, has been named in Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2013 guide and listed in Great Wall Walks.
Lonely Planet is one of the world's most successful travel publishers, printing over 100 million books.
The trail, built by King Offa's men to separate England and Wales between 757 and 796, has been added to the list alongside Cartagena in Columbia, Avila in Spain and Hadrian's Wall.
Built by King Offa as a show of strength to intimidate his enemies, it takes in some of the Welsh Marches' most stunning landscapes.
It is also the longest scheduled ancient monument in the UK.
Rob Dingle, national trail officer for the Offa's Dyke, said he was delighted with the inclusion in the guide.
He said: "The best way to appreciate the sheer scale of Offa's Dyke is from the walking route named after it – the Offa's Dyke Path National Trail.
"The 177-mile trail goes from Sedbury Cliff in Gloucestershire to Prestatyn on the north Wales coast and follows the Dyke itself for about 60 miles.
From Rushock Holl just north of Kington to Chirk Castle in Wrexham, the trail and the Dyke are never far apart and on many sections you are either walking on or beside it."
Councillor Graham Brown, cabinet member responsible for countryside services at Powys County Council, said it would be a huge economic boost to the region.
The Offa's Dyke Association estimates that about 9,000 people a year walk the trail, but it is hard to keep accurate records due to its length.
