Offas Dyke

[Mart]

I was perusing some ideas for longer routes last night, and came across Offas Dyke. Anyone know been on it on their bike?

What I was looking at suggested it was a walkers path, hence my looking for bike info.

[Ian]

Offa's Dyke is primarily a long distance walking route. It has some bits of bridleway it it, but not enough to make it a worthwhile riding route

[Bearbonesnorm]

What Ian says.

[Mart]

Thanks Ian

[GregMay]

I lived below it in Llandyrnog for a while. As the lads said, it's a path. There are better things you could ride.

[Mart]

Yep I was just scoping out what was around. Maybe the Off Rd Nth to South wales route would be betterer

[johnnystorm]

Going off at a tangent I wrote a fascinating essay at University about why Offa's Dyke wasn't built by Offa and wasn't for keeping the Welsh out of Mercia.

[voodoo_simon]

Going off at a tangent I wrote a fascinating essay at University about why Offa's Dyke wasn't built by Offa and wasn't for keeping the Welsh out of Mercia.

Dont keep us in suspense Johnny...

[johnnystorm]

Going off at a tangent I wrote a fascinating essay at University about why Offa's Dyke wasn't built by Offa and wasn't for keeping the Welsh out of Mercia.

Dont keep us in suspense Johnny...

Phew I'd thought you never ask.......

1.) Offa didn't control enough of "England" to have control over that area to organise the building of something so massive
2.) The much lower population wouldn't have sufficient manpower to be dedicated to such a big solution to what wasn't actually that bad a problem
3.) Life expectancy was much lower than today. Much like current Governments no-one wants to start something that won't get finished during their reign
4.) The Dyke misses the chance to use a number of natural features that would've saved on building efforts (use a cliff rather than build a wall)
5.) The Dyke follows the current English/Welsh border. Owain Glyndwr was negotiating for control of Wales in the 14th century and it was considered realistic that he could ask for Chester/Manchester/Liverpool, Offa would need to be considering building his dyke well inside enemy lines. Cumbria is derived from Cambria so Welsh influence extended far further than the area the dyke hems in.

So what was it.....

A trade route built up over the years long before Offa showed up. It links between a number of centres of population, trade and mining. Nobody would sit down and try and build the thing in one go but a gradual build over millennia as people go about their daily business (that keeps going generally no matter what nonsense the powers that be get up to).

[Bearbonesnorm]

Everyday's a school day

[johnnystorm]

Everyday's a school day

It certainly is for me!

[voodoo_simon]

Well, I never knew that. Next you'll be telling me Offa wasn't a dyke...




I'll get my coat