Stage start
Sedbury Cliffs
Trailhead
The start stone on the cliffs above the Severn, with nothing there. Chepstow, about 2 km away over the Wye, has hotels, B&Bs and the station.
Chepstow · Town
Sedbury Cliffs to Monmouth
Offa's Dyke Path · Stage 1
Walking time measured on the mapped line (TrailSplits time model, moving time; within 22 % on four in five test legs). Outside Switzerland our walking times often run short of the times route operators publish; treat them as optimistic. Climb measured on the mapped line, on terrain heights.
30kmStage distance
1,148mAscent, measured
8 h 42Walking time, measured
1Stage number
From the start stone on Sedbury Cliffs up the Wye valley to Monmouth: 28 km, National Trails says.
Best season: All year; most walk April to October. The path can be walked all year, National Trails says; most people walk it between April and October, and spring and early summer are best for the flowers. June to August are the busiest and warmest months. The Offa's Dyke Association's season runs from Easter to October, when its passport stamps are out. The Hatterrall Ridge, the highest point at about 700 m, is exposed in bad weather. Before you go
Loading topographic map…
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%) Moderate (10–15%) Steep (15–25%)
Green: Sedbury Cliffs to Monmouth. Grey: full trail. Elevation follows this mapped track.
Sedbury Cliffs to Monmouth
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Where this stage starts and ends
Facts read from the guide's sources and OpenStreetMap on 13 October 2026. A page can change after we read it, so confirm with your accommodation before you rely on a date or a bed.
Stage end · overnight
Monmouth
Town
A market town on the Wye with hotels, B&Bs and a riverside caravan site.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 4 places to stay within about 1300 m (read 13 October 2026). TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
Walking time for this leg
No walking time is published for this leg. Measured on the mapped line, the stage takes about 8 h 42 of walking.
Make it your trip
Book your nights ahead
Places to stay are limited in some areas, National Trails says, so book ahead. By our count of the listed places, the fewest beds near the path are at Pandy, Brompton Crossroads, Bodfari and Chirk Mill. There is no right to wild camp along the trail: ask the landowner. Luggage-transfer services run along the path.
Sedbury Cliffs to Prestatyn
The National Trail's twelve sections, a night at the end of each.
Plan this journeySedbury Cliffs to Knighton
The Wye valley, the Black Mountains and Hergest Ridge in five sections, to the Offa's Dyke Centre.
Plan this journeyKnighton to Prestatyn
The switchbacks, the Severn and the Clwydian hills in seven sections.
Plan this journeyWeather this week
Loading the forecast for low point (sea level) and high point (262 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this stage: at the lowest point (sea level) and the highest point (262 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed |
| High point, day / night | 7°/2° | 7°/2° | 9°/3° | 12°/4° | 15°/7° | 18°/10° | 20°/12° | 20°/12° | 17°/10° | 13°/7° | 10°/4° | 7°/2° |
| Low point, day / night | 8°/3° | 9°/3° | 11°/4° | 14°/6° | 17°/8° | 20°/11° | 22°/13° | 21°/13° | 19°/11° | 15°/9° | 11°/5° | 9°/4° |
| Rain, mm | 75 | 60 | 60 | 59 | 62 | 61 | 55 | 74 | 67 | 87 | 93 | 91 |
| Snow at high point | Frost | Frost | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight | 8 h 17 | 9 h 56 | 11 h 46 | 13 h 49 | 15 h 36 | 16 h 39 | 16 h 15 | 14 h 43 | 12 h 45 | 10 h 47 | 8 h 54 | 7 h 50 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Prepare for Offa's Dyke Path
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
The Old Wye Bridge at Chepstow
The old bridge between Chepstow and the Gloucestershire bank, the walk from the station towards the start, closed to vehicles in October 2025 and to everyone in March 2026, after cracks were found. It reopened to walkers in June 2026, but Monmouthshire County Council closes it when the temperature is 30 °C or above or below −3 °C. Check the council's page before you go.
Monmouthshire County Council: Old Wye BridgeThe Hatterrall Ridge and the switchbacks
Section 3 runs about 11 miles (18 km) along the open Hatterrall Ridge to Hay Bluff, up to about 700 m: in mist and wind it is exposed, and walkers often split the day at Llanthony or Longtown below. Section 6, the switchbacks along the Dyke north of Knighton, is generally reckoned the toughest day.
National Trails: route descriptionDiversions
National Trails lists the path's diversions on its map. Near the Montgomery Canal a diversion for new bridge works was extended to June 2026 and is still listed; the Canal & River Trust aimed to open the bridge early in 2026. Follow the signs on the ground.
National Trails: Offa's Dyke Path trail informationGetting there
Connect your journey
Travel around Sedbury Cliffs to Monmouth.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
To the start at Sedbury Cliffs
Chepstow has a station (Transport for Wales), with trains all year. From the town, walk over the Wye to the start stone on Sedbury Cliffs, about 2 km.
Transport for Wales: ChepstowStations on the way
Knighton, near halfway, is on the Heart of Wales line, seven days a week; Welshpool is near Buttington Bridge, and Chirk near Chirk Mill; Abergavenny serves Pandy. All are Transport for Wales stations.
Transport for Wales: KnightonHome from Prestatyn
Prestatyn has a station on the North Wales coast line (Transport for Wales), with trains all year.
Transport for Wales: PrestatynTake your trip with you
Offline maps
Prepare each section while you still have a connection: on the Hatterrall Ridge and in the hills of the middle sections the signal can be weak.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
- Open this trail in the app. Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
- Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
- Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
About this map
National Trails gives 177 miles (285 km) from Sedbury Cliffs to Prestatyn in twelve sections, south to north. National Trails publishes no section times, only distances, so the times here are measured on our line. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (relation 9649, "Offa's Dyke Path", from the planet of 11 October 2026): 285.8 km, cut at the twelve section ends, without its mapped alternative routes. Our climb is measured on terrain heights, so short steep banks are smoothed out.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
National Trails: Offa's Dyke PathMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation