The start of the path is on the seafront at Prestatyn stretching 177 miles (280kms) to Chepstow. Imposing Offa's Dyke was built when King Offa ordered a great divide to be built between Wales and Mercia, stretching from sea to sea.
Today the Offa's Dyke Path starts at Central Beach, Prestatyn, and runs for 177 miles (280kms) to Chepstow following the original 8th Century Offa's Dyke earthwork for about 70 miles (112kms) finishing at Sedbury Cliffs on the Severn Estuary.
From Central Beach, the path goes up to Prestatyn Hillside which is made of sedimentary rock limestone created from coral and shells of dead marine creatures deposited on the floor of a shallow tropical sea millions of years ago.
The Dyke itself is said to be a frontier built by Offa, King of Mercia in the mid to late 700s, but its actual purpose is still debated by historians and archaeologists. Whether it was intended as a boundary, as a defensive structure or just to intimidate is not really known.
It consists of a ditch and rampart constructed with the ditch on the Welsh-facing side. Natural barriers were used where practicable.
It is thought that it was hardly likely that it marked the precise dividing line between the two peoples; during the age of Offa, there were English communities to its west and Welsh communities to its east.
The Offa's Dyke and Tourist Information Centre, situated at Central Beach, Prestatyn, adjacent to the Nova Centre, provides an audio-visual presentation of the history of the Offa's Dyke Path.
And, if you intend to do the whole walk, it's customary to pick up a small stone from the sea and toss it into the River Wye at the other end.
