Typical Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival
Our driver will be at your nominated collection point at the pre-agreed time to load your team and all of their kit. When you arrive at camp near Prestatyn we will cook you a hearty meal, run through the plan for your Offa’s Dyke adventure and then leave you and the team to rest up for the evening.
Day 2 – Prestatyn to Pentrecelyn
- Approx 6hrs
- 60km/38mi
- 1450m
Offa’s Dyke path starts in the 390 km2 (151 mi2) Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB, famed for its diverse inhabitants, from rare spotted birds to various reptiles. Leaving Prestatyn you gradually climb the Clwydian Way, passing the Y Graig nature reserve with its abundance of wildflowers and butterflies. Expect fantastic views over the Vale of Clwyd and beyond from under the Penycloddiau hillfort – one of the largest in Wales at the time at 21 hectares. Toward the end of the day you skirt around Moel Famau before passing through the ancient woodland of Penycloddiau hillfort which provides stunning views of the rural Welsh landscape and on to camp number 2, near Pentrecelyn.
Day 3 – Pentrecelyn to Llansilin
- Approx 6hrs
- 67km/42mi
- 1360m
Day 3 starts with quiet country lanes before you head to the Llandegla Forest, under The Worlds End and along the banks of the Eglwyseg River. Dropping down to the Llangollen Canal, you discover the picturesque town of Llangollen before snaking out of the Dee valley to rest with us near Llansilin for the evening.
Day 4 – Llansilin to Mainstone
- Approx 6hrs
- 70km/43mi
- 870m
On Day 4 quiet country lanes are the main order of the day. It’s the first day with under 1000m of climbing so you have a good chance to rest those weary legs. After Afon Tanat your path merges with the Montgomery Canal for an almost flat 35km (22mi) stretch. You nip onto the Shropshire Way, through the scenic market town of Welshpool to Abermule to reach a 10km (6mi) climb that will truly test your cycling muscles as you mount the Shropshire Hills AONB. Cross the border and come to rest for an evening in the English countryside near Mainstone.
Day 5 – Mainstone to Llanfiangel nant Melan
- Approx 6hrs
- 59km/37mi
- 1290m
Day 5 begins with a descent into Clun, past the castle ruins and out of the Shropshire Hills AONB. Here you join the Jack Mynton Way, the Offa’s Dyke Path proper, and Glyndwr’s Way before climbing up to Radnor Forest and descending into New Radnor along sleepy lanes and traffic-free paths, which along with rolling countryside, are the order of day on your Offa’s Dyke cycling challenge. Following the Edw Valley, there are scenic views aplenty as you reach tonight’s resting spot, near Llanfihangel-nant-Melan .
Day 6 – Llanfiangel nant Melan to Clodock
- Approx 5.5hrs
- 61km/38mi
- 1070m
Day 7 – Clodock to Sedbury
- Approx 6hrs
- 75km/47mi
- 1070m
The final ride of your Offa’s Dyke adventure has you hugging the Brecon Beacons, descending through the charming Llanvihangel Crucorney and Llanvetherine before passing the circa 1000 year old White Castle whose imposing position frames your winding route in and out of the Wye Valley. A particularly steep descent into Monmouth takes you toward the River Monnow and Monmouth Castle. You enter the Wye Valley AONB and follow the course of the Wye to Brockwell. Here is your final climb and a reward of a 10km (6mi) descent into Sedbury where our final luxurious camp and nourishing, freshly cooked meal of local treats awaits your weary bones!
Day 8 – Home
Have a well-earned lie in on day eight while we make you a hot, cooked breakfast as unhealthy as you like! When you’re all packed up we’ll whisk you and your kit back home again.
If you would like to prolong your Offa’s Dyke adventure there are a couple of world class bike parks along the way that you could call in for a day or why not take half a day to do some paddling on the River Wye? Just get in touch via our Personalised Adventure page and we can talk through options to extend your stay and personalise any preplanned adventure.
What’s included?
- Transport for you, your luggage and kit from/to your front door
- 2 person support team, on call in case of incident or emergency at any point during your tour
- 3 meals per day. Chosen by you from an extensive menu of locally sourced, ethical ingredients and cooked fresh each evening over an open fire
- Freshly ground coffee and/or a choice of tea with meals
- Water bottles filled each morning
- Energy boosting snacks for the day
- Beautiful 5m canvas bell tents. Pre-pitched. Furnished with real beds and winter tog duvets and linen bedding
- Routes loaded into a GPS device for the nominated team navigator and added to a backup OS Landranger map too
- Routes available in GPX/KML format, viewable on Google Maps, Strava etc. for the rest of the team
- Devices charged overnight so you are juiced up
- A Nine Yards T-shirt for the lead booker and Nine Yards tote bags for the rest of the team
What’s not included
- Alcoholic/soft drinks other than water
- Personal equipment (bike, helmet, waterproof clothes etc) – We can arrange the hire of kit, if required
- Personal travel insurance
- Personal expenses for souvenirs, pub trips etc.
If you would like a guided tour, need to hire equipment or would like to otherwise personalise the tour with add-on excursions, diversions, or any other changes, we can do that. Just get in touch via our Personalised Adventure page.
Nine Yard Tours is a boutique holiday experience provider and as such we are strictly limited in our tour capacity. This means you receive a fully flexible personalised service from our dedicated crew from start to finish. It also means once a date is booked, it’s booked and our small but mighty team is unavailable for anyone else’s luxury adventure. We sell on a first come, first served basis, so get in touch today so we can plan your most adventurous glamping experience to date
*All Preplanned Adventure routes are approximate and may vary slightly depending on campsite availability at the time of booking. We will confirm the final route when bookings are made. If there isn’t a campsite available at the end of any tour section, we will arrange transfers from the closest available site.
**Please note that all Preplanned Adventures are self-guided and participants are required to be proficient in their chosen tour method, be it cycling, hiking or paddling.