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The Shropshire Review
‘A wonderful read: witty, unsentimental and full of unforgettable thumbnail sketches of the people and places.’
Book Description
Following his last best selling book Dancing with Sabrina when Bob took us along the River Severn, Bob dons his boots again to explore Offas Dyke.
Built by Offa, King of Mercia in 757 to 796 AD the dyke formed the boundary between England & Wales, running 182 miles from Prestatyn in the north to Sedbury, near Chepstow in the south.
As Bob walks the length of Offas Dyke, he whisks us back to discover the past and meet the villains, heroes and madmen that the dyke has been witness to across the ages. He takes us through the towns and villages that have sprung up close by and reveals their ancient secrets and folklore. He samples the modern day with his refreshingly simple needs and throws light on where to go and not to go, to eat, drink and visit.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Leave Home Without It,
By
This review is from: Special Offa: Walking the Offa's Dyke Path (Paperback)
"This was my lowest point of the day. It had been raining most of the day so far and the wet had penetrated my socks and boots, so that every footfall squelched. My legs ached from the constant dipping and rising, my dodgy left knee was threatening to reawaken, and any moment I expected my Achilles heel tendon on my right leg to start moaning in sympathy. I looked up at the Dyke as it made its ascent and I actually took my mobile phone out, thinking to ring my wife and ask her to come and rescue me."-- Knighton to Montgomery.
This simple and honest paragraph became the singlemost important bit of trail commentary of all that I had read regarding Offa's Dyke National Trail. Prior to embarking on Offa's Dyke, I spent a lot of time winnowing down the contents of my backpack to the bare essentials. "Special Offa" survived the first cut because I wanted to read about each section of the trail the night before hiking it. In Monmouth my backpack underwent a second purge at the post office. I chose to shoulder the weight of "Special Offa" over that of extra socks and rain gear; it had become evident to me that Bob Bibby was not merely an entertaining and informative trail guide, but a lifeline at cliff's edge. The knowledge of shared experience somehow made the pain and panic more surmountable (misery loves company?). The historical record of points along Offa's Dyke would fill enough volumes it would take all the walkers in Wales to pack them from Chepstow to Prestatyn, so thankfully Bob Bibby gives us just the kind of pleasant, non burdensome read that can follow a meal and a pint at the pub and precede sinking under the covers and sleeping like the dead until the next day's 19 miles. Bob never steered me wrong in Places to Eat and Drink and Places to Stay. I met some wonderful people thanks to Bob. So, if you're headed out on this 177 mile commitment, don't leave home without "Special Offa."
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant book,
This review is from: Special Offa: Walking the Offa's Dyke Path (Paperback)
I couldn't disagree more with the previous comment. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover, even the feeble jokes. Some of the characters Bob met are memorable (I especially like hopeless Hope in Llanymynech and the Hobbit in the pub in north Wales. I'm really looking forward to walking Offa's Dyke when I can find the time. Bob's brilliant book has really given me a taste for the places it goes through and the fascinating history that surrounds them.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not much to Offa,
By
This review is from: Special Offa: Walking the Offa's Dyke Path (Paperback)
If you are hoping to find some local colour about the Offa's Dyke path, I am afraid you won't get a lot from this book.
However, if you enjoy gags in doubtful taste (such as how funny it is to ask in a pub for "half of Hook" [sounds a bit like "have a f***" I supppose?]) sanctimonious judgementmentalism (on Nelson: "weep that another English hero had feet of clay") assumed moral superiority: ("...a complete American nutter. And I was walking with her") and plenty of sneering, you'll love it. Earwigging in a restuarant, where, according to Bob, "loud conversation spewed through the room" Bob thinks it worth recounting what he hears: "Good manners are important in how you take a joke" and "You can't say that sort of thing nowadays, of course, it's not PC," and "Went on a counselling course and they're all the same." These fairly innocuous remarks are enough for the author to inform us that "It was the kind of middle class braying I dislike intensely." Oh, do you really, Bob? "Just remember, "he says, commenting on a stately home "if you choose to spend some of your hard-earned visiting the place, how that wealth was accumulated and how much of the public purse has been raided ... to maintain them in their Fancy Dan way of life." Thanks for that insightful view of social history, Bob. I think we get where you're coming from. Bill Bryson, I am afraid, Bibby ain't.
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