Location: Along the Welsh border from Chepstow in the south to Prestatyn in the north. 'I’he best stretches arc on the mid-Walcs/England border, north of Knighton, around Montgomery, and south of Chirk.
One of the best defined stretches of Offa's Dyke, seen following the curve of Llanfair Hill above Llanfair Waterdine on the Poieys/Shropshire border.
King Offa of. Mercia was responsible for this feat of construction around the late eighth century, to delineate. Mercia’s western boundary, d'he dyke was massive when first constructed, much more impressive than it is today, much of it having been eroded or ploughed down during the succeeding centuries, though along some stretches the bank still stands high. It is likely that it was also intended to deter the savage Welsh from raiding the farms in western. Mercia, though it would surely have been an impossible task to permanently man the dyke along its length. Perhaps lookouts kept a check on the activities of the Welsh, and reinforcements were called in when large-scale raids seemed imminent.
'rhe history and purpose of the dyke are still far from clear, and excavations continue annually at different sections along its length, and also at short dykes which exist on the Welsh side of Offa’s Dyke, for example the Upper and Lower Short Ditches in the Kerry Hills. 'I'he more energetic among our readers can walk the length of Offa’s Dyke along the Long Distance Footpath, which is now a popular walk. However, the continual tramp of human feet along the top of the bank, together with the activities of livestock and wildlife, are now resulting in severe erosion of the dyke in some places.
World History
