Sodom to the end

We went down to breakfast at Fron Haul to find two female walkers already there and we were soon joined by our friend the American, who we had first met above Knighton. We had a full cooked breakfast and left the house just before 9am.

Gwladys Edwards had warned us of the culture shock we were likely to suffer in Prestatyn, the end point of Offa's Dyke Path, but we were also aware that we had some serious walking to do before reaching Prestatyn. We still had to deal with the northern end of the Clwydian range, which we'd spent yesterday dealing with the rest of. We climbed up from Fron Haul to Cefn Du and were rewarded by excellent views to Snowdonia and to the sea.

We descended quite steeply to a footbridge over the A55 and into Rhuallt, then climbed through the posh bit of the village before turning right up a very steep footpath around Mynydd y Cwm. We could hear the loudspeaker commentary from some event in Rhuallt and there were views ahead of us to the North Hoyle Wind Farm beyond Prestatyn; 30 giant wind turbines in the sea. We climbed over Marian Ffrith then there were some gentle ascents and descents and we crossed the A5151. Lunchtime came and went but we were too hot to want food.

Eventually we reached the clifftop path which runs above Prestatyn and the surrounding villages. This was hard work (it was hot and there were lots of ups and downs) and initially a bit disappointing, going round an old quarry. However there were good views down to Prestatyn (we correctly located our B&B, next to the golf course) and the wind farm, and the climb over Prestatyn Hill was more rewarding. As we reached the end of the clifftop section we passed a couple going the other way who were just starting the Offa's Dyke Path; they were the first to congratulate us on our achievement.

We descended into Prestatyn itself down Fford-las (the posh bit), Hill Street and Bastion Road. We went up and over the footbridge at the railway station then down through the very touristy bit of the town, though there were seats provided by the Offa's Dyke Association and we noticed that the Prestatyn 'flags' were carrying the 'Offa Rex' logo. We bumped into the American walker for the final time as we walked down through Prestatyn.

We returned to an ice-cream shop we had passed, and bought ice-creams to celebrate, then we went back to the front for a paddle. A couple who had walked the path a couple of years previously recognised us as 'Offa's Dykers', congratulated us, and took our photo.

The guidebook says 'There is an apocryphal story that Fford-las and its continuation mark the line of the Dyke, and there is a walkers' tradition that, on reaching the beach, you take off your footwear and wade out, on the exact line of the Path, as far as you dare.' Given that there was an extremely high tide this wasn't difficult. It was a bit painful underfoot with the stones on the sea-wall embankment, but the water was lovely. We'd done it!

We bought cold drinks (Helen had another ice cream) then decided to walk to Melyd House, our guest house overlooking the golf course at Meliden. We arrived around 5pm and were welcomed by Susan and her family. I had a bath then Susan gave us a lift to the next village of Dyserth for a meal. There were no tables available inside the The New Inn, but it was a glorious evening so we enjoyed sitting outside for our celebratory end of walk meal. Afterwards, we decided to walk back to Melyd House and it was a pleasant walk; Meliden is an attractive former mining village.