Country Walks, Books in Wales’ Wye Valley

Wye Valley in Wales has long beckoned travelers with books. Bibliophiles make a beeline for the village of Hay-on-Wye, where more than two dozen shops offer hundreds of thousands of used books, many old, rare or otherwise collectible.

Although books may have put Hay-on-Wye on the map, the appeal for me during a visit in October was the area’s lovely montage of hill and dale, woods and fields, and castle ruins and drowsy villages near the English border.

On the advice of a fellow hiker and book lover, I sampled the Wye Valley Walk and Offa’s Dyke Path, two of Britain’s best (yet relatively unknown) long-distance trails. With judicious use of maps and guidebooks, and by tapping the wisdom of local tourist boards and trail organizations such as Offa’s Dyke Assn., travelers can plan a superb week or more in the Wye Valley. These groups can offer trail suggestions, lodging options, transportation ideas and advice on moving luggage from inn to inn.

The Wye Valley Walk follows the Wye River Valley, crisscrossing the border. The 112-mile route visits dramatic limestone gorges, rolling green hills and historic market towns.

The walk’s southernmost sections lead through what the British call ancient woodland--trees that date to the Middle Ages. Oaks are particularly impressive, but beech, ash, poplar and sycamore also grow on land colored by rhododendron.

Offa’s Dyke Path offers not only a walk through history but a walk on top of it as well. Ruthless King Offa of Mercia (now the English Midlands) ordered his 8th century subjects to construct a long barrier to keep out the Welsh. About 80 miles of ditches and raised banks remain, and the border is still roughly defined by the dike.

For most of its length the path sticks to the dike, although occasional detours cross the quiet Wye Valley and lead onto higher ground that affords grand views. Hikers usually allow about 12 days to walk the entire 177-mile path.

The Wye Valley Walk and Offa’s Dyke Path are best walked south to north so the sun and wind are at your back most of the time. A leaping-salmon logo guides hikers on the Wye Valley Walk; Offa’s Dyke Path is marked with acorns.

In the spring, the Wye Valley blossoms with Queen Anne’s lace, campion, hedge parsley, bluebells and daffodils. Summer days are warm but rarely hot; in the fall, temperatures are mild, and the woods display a bit of autumn color.

The locally published “Wye Valley Walk Official Route Guide” is printed on plastic--a hint that hikers should be prepared for rain in any season. Other local trail maps often show an icon of a clothespin, which represents facilities for drying wet clothes and boots.

When it’s not raining, you may see peregrine falcons, buzzards and rare red kites fly across the valley; kingfishers, swans and ducks congregate by the river, as do minks and otters.

The most memorable sights are the castles. When you approach these hilltop fortresses on foot, you can better appreciate their military intent and strategic location. Chepstow Castle, perched above the River Wye at the start of the Wye Valley Walk, was started just after William the Conquerer’s victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and was Britain’s first stone stronghold.

Travelers walking a pilgrim’s path to Tintern Abbey, the best-preserved medieval monastery in Wales, may find that its grace and beauty leave them at a loss for words. The abbey was founded by Cistercian monks in 1131, and its great walls, soaring archways and vast windows are outstanding examples of Gothic architecture.

Such sights prove there’s certainly more to see in this valley than the bookstores of Hay-on-Wye. Travelers seeking an enchanted walk in Wales would do well to heed the words of a Tintern Abbey monk who wrote, “You will find among the woods something you never found in books.”

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For more of John McKinney’s tips, visit www.thetrailmaster.com.