"Up The Dyke" Day 1 - July 13th 2002, Sedbury to Chepstow "Start, What Start?"
Day	Date	Start	Finish	Approx. Miles	Hours	Accommodation
1	Sat. 13th July	Sedbury	Chepstow	2	¾	Jane Cooper. First Hurdle Guesthouse, 9-10 Upper Church Street, Chepstow NP16 5EX, Tel. 01291 622189

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Noelene and I left Bolton for the 180 mile long drive to Sedbury Cliffs on the Severn Estuary and the start of my second great walking adventure - the Offa's Dyke Path. Throughout this account I'll make no innuendo-like references at all that might upset any politically correct readers (honest)! Unbelievably, the weather was wonderful - warm, sunny and without wind and it seemed that summer had arrived at last. Only time will tell if I was right.

We arrived at Sedbury still in sunshine and, having read the Offa's Dyke South and North guides, knew that we'd have to walk from the road, down The Path to the start, turn around and then walk back as there seems to be no other way to get there. The start is about half a mile from the road and the beginning/end marker is just a lump of concrete on a cliff top with a metal plate stuck on it announcing its purpose. Not only was that mildly disappointing but there isn't even a view of the Severn Estuary through the dense cliff top trees.

However, Noelene and I set off to walk back to the car actually along the ridge of the Dyke and I must say that it's a rather impressive earthwork. We were determined to find the beach so that I could pick up a pebble to throw in the sea at Prestatyn. So we had to drive a mile or so down the road to the "Old Ferry Hotel" almost under the original Severn Bridge and pick a couple up from there. The Severn Estuary is very muddy and smelly but I guess that's what estuaries are all about!

We then drove to where we'd left the Path and I continued to walk as Noelene drove to the B&B in Chepstow. The Path goes across a field and then through a fairly rough looking estate where the local kids seemed to have taken a fancy to Offa's Dyke Path signs and, I guess not for the last time in the coming days, I was scratching my head a bit about where to go. However, once I'd found the sewage works I knew that I was on the right track! I passed behind some houses on the cliffs above the River Wye but again wasn't able to see the river itself. The Path crosses the A48 and this is where I walked into town for our first night. As I crossed the modern, boring and very heavy with traffic bridge (shared with the railway line) there were good views of the Wye with banks as muddy as the Severn, the town itself - a hotchpotch of old and new and, dominating it, the Castle.

Unable to find a tea room open we went to the wonderfully picturesque Tesco's cafe had tea and cakes and bought some grub for tomorrow's 15¾ walk. We checked in to the First Hurdle Guesthouse which is okay with good rooms and the name refers to horse racing, not the fact that you've crossed the first hurdle of the Offa's Dyke Path when you reach here.

Later we wandered around town, saw the castle where there was a mediaeval fair taking place as part of the Chepstow festival. It was wonderful with just a hint of the modern (ye olde latte and ye olde Carlsberg lager!). Noelene had a go at the hoopla and I just enjoyed the atmosphere. We walked down to the river and sat outside the The Boat Inn (wonderful looking fish menu, but fully booked) and I had my first beer of the walk - a pint of Wadsworth's 6X and very nice it was too.

The Chinese restaurant was also fully booked so we settled for Pizza Express and had a very good tuna and bean salad followed by pizzas, mine with rather warming Jalapeno peppers - great!

Day 1 Impressions

My first impressions of the Offa's Dyke Path were nowhere as good as of the Pennine Way and I felt none of the emotion that I did two years ago. But it's very early days and tomorrow, if the scenery on our drive down from Monmouth is anything to go by, will lift my walking spirits quite considerably

to go to Day 2, to go back to the itinerary or to return to the starting page.