Discovering the England and Wales Border
Whereas England has around 60 million people, Wales is far smaller, with just 3 million or so. A beautiful country with gorgeous beaches, people in North Wales tend to speak Welsh, while the south tends to speak English with their beautiful musical sing-song accents.
The Offa’s Dyke Path is a 177-mile train that follows the Welsh border, which can be combined with walking the Wales Coast Path, if you’re feeling fit!
Always follow the Countryside Code, to keep all creatures safe. It at the coast, read our post on keeping dogs safe by the seaside.
Also just over the Welsh border is the town of Hay-on-Wye, known for its annual festival in the ‘town of books’. With more second-hand bookshops than anywhere in England, many writers, readers and artists visit here, from around the world. Shropshire (and Bristol) are also close to Wales.
Oswestry (nearest English town to Wales)
Oswestry is a market town in Shropshire, just 2 miles from the Welsh border. Named after King Oswald of Northumbria, he was killed in a battle here in AD 642. Like Berwick-upon-Tweed (in Northumberland), this town has a long history of changing hands, sometimes being rules by England, and other times by Wales.
You can still see ruins of a Norman castle from 1000 years ago, on a hill that overlooks the town.
