For some reason, I’m really not sure why, I was the one who raised his hand at the meeting to indicate my willingness to join the Cwmwd Ial re-enactment group to dress in full medieval kit and walk from Moel Arthur to Loggerheads via the Jubilee Tower. The 7 mile walk in this instance wasn’t the most daunting part of the day, my biggest fear leading up to it was the leather soled boots everyone kept reminding me about!

Saturday July 18th dawned dry, which was excellent news considering the absorbent nature of the clothes I found myself in. My modern comforts consisted of comfortable underwear and socks, a drinks bottle carefully concealed in a woven bag, plus the obligatory mobile phone (in our group of 28 only 2 of us carried a phone for Health and Safety reasons). My woollen and linen Anglo-Saxon kit was trousers, wrap around socks, under robe, over robe/tunic, hood/cowl, buckle, belt, dagger, shield and helmet.

The first part of the walk was the steep assent up John’s Climb from the Moel Arthur car park. This was the steepest section of the walk and was too steep for the pack pony and two horses with us, who took a steadier route before rejoining us before the Llanganhafal track and our first meeting with Sam in the support truck. It was during our steep climb that I first realised how warm my gear was, far warmer then my modern walking gear, but a little heavier and far more photogenic for the surprised Offa’s Dyke Path walkers who stumbled across us.

Our lunch stop was the top of Moel Dywyll, which gave us excellent views south down the Clwydian Range. The lunch I was kindly supplied was also authentic; bread, cheese, ham, flap jack and nuts wrapped in cloth, and an oat cake wrapped in leaves – very tasty too!

As Moel Famau approached I was beginning to get weary, the most discomfort coming from the weight of food, water and dagger hanging from my belt, pressing down on the top of my hips. The shoes were so far proving surprisingly comfortable. There was a welcome break at the Jubilee Tower as Sam and Ian were interviewed by a news-crew (who just happened to be on Moel Famau filming someone playing pool!!) and various photos were taken.

The route down through the forest had been considered the easier part of the journey but by now the arches of my feet were beginning to hurt as the lack of support in my shoes began to show. The forest section turned out to be a bit of a slog as the temperature rose out of the wind and everyone’s energy began to drop. Kit was beginning to be swapped around to share the load, chain mail causing particular problems; I found myself adding a large spear to my kit for the rest of the walk to Loggerheads.

Our triumphant return to camp set up at Loggerheads was witnessed by a crowd who had enjoyed a day full of activities and entertainment. I had enjoyed the experience of being an Anglo-Saxon warrior for the day and was glad to have been given the opportunity, but was still very happy to be back in shoes with a comfortable sole, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.