Books, books and more books!
Books on streets, books crammed into shelves in quaint bookstores along narrow alleys, books on the castle wall too! What more can a book-lover want?
Hay-on-Wye, known as the World’s First Book Town is a hidden gem in Wales successfully luring book-lovers for decades. This little Welsh “town” in the County of Powys in Herefordshire is actually a typical tiny Welsh village of 2,000 people, huddled around a Norman castle atop a small hill, with a couple of pubs, a church and the River Wye.
This little village (called Y Gelli or Y Gelli Gandryll in Welsh) rose from obscurity in 1961 when Richard Booth bought container loads of books from libraries that were closing in the US and set up his book shop in an old fire station. Others followed, and now there are about 30 bookstores, some specialising in particular subjects – poetry, murder mysteries, children’s books, art, and so on.
Hay-on-Wye was our first stop on our 10-day road trip around Wales. As one would expect with all small towns, parking is almost impossible. We had to leave the car parked in our Bed and Breakfast and then explore the town on foot.
You are welcome to browse in the shops, and you can settle yourself in a corner to turn over some pages. There are many second-hand books by long-forgotten authors, antique maps and hidden gems awaiting discovery. Most of the stores are located in the popular Castle street and some in Lion street and Broad street too.
Hay Castle with Bookshelves
A remarkable feature of Hay-on-Wye are the Honesty Bookshops, notably the one amongst the castle ruins. These are open-air shelves full of books to choose from, and you are expected to be honest and drop your money in the payment box and take your books! Incidentally, the books are cheap, from just 1 Pound to maybe 4 or 5 Pounds for an almost-new hard-cover in a regular shop.
Popular Book shops in Hay-on-Wye
Richard Booth’s Bookshop is one of the largest bookshops in Hay, with both new and secondhand titles. You could spend hours browsing the shelves or curling up in one of the sofas with your finds.
Addyman Books on Lion Street is definitely worth a mention. Its colourful wooden interior comes from a Transylvanian church. The books are beautifully arranged with colour themes
Hay Cinema Bookstore, located in the old cinema, is a large cheap bookstore on two floors, featuring a massive range of second hand books. Guides at the end of aisles help you find the section you need.
Food and Drink
Several nice cafes and quaint eating places are scattered between the bookstores, enabling book-lovers to take a break for coffee and bites. Some of them serve traditional British fare, and sandwiches and salads too. Many of these cafes have outdoor seating as well.
Hay-on-Wye is most popular during the yearly Guardian Hay Festival in May, when thousands of visitors come in for seminars and readings.
Accommodation in Hay-on-Wye
There are many good bed and breakfasts, and small hotels too. Of particular mention are
- The Firs at Hay-on-Wye – Bed and Breakfast with excellent breakfast and good parking arrangement.
- The Swan at Hay hotel with an on-site restaurant.
Both the hotels are situated at the heart of town where all the action is.
Things to do in Hay-on-Wye other than books
Hay-on-Wye has a few things to do other than the books, such as walks through stunning countryside and scenic drives. Check out the following:
Drive over the Trericket Bridge
This is a truly scary bridge, thankfully fairly short, just narrow enough for one car at a time and hence one-way.
You might just be able to see whether someone else is already on the bridge or not!
Yes, true to its name it IS a rickety bridge, but safe enough!
Colorful scenery and pleasant walks awaited us on the other side.
Visit Hay Castle
Towering above the rest of town, the ruins of Hay Castle are a large reminder of the town’s history. Once upon a time, Powys was a battle ground with various groups vying for control over the area. Today the fortified walls are a real sight to see and the interior is due to be turned into a cultural centre within the next few years.
Hike Hay Bluff and Offa’s Dyke
Hay Bluff, atop a large hill near the town, is a lovely spot with beautiful green rolling Welsh hills all around, grazing sheep and awesome views. There is a 9.2 kilometre loop trail here. Get yourself some good walking shoes and a camera and enjoy some good walks and views here.
A word about the narrow roads around Hay-on-Wye!
When we tried to venture out of the town towards some interesting sounding attractions, we were always directed by Google map to take some ridiculously narrow roads – worse than the narrow roads you find in Scotland, Ireland and England – where your side mirrors may brush the hedges on either side.
These roads are very scary with few, if any, ‘passing places’. You could suddenly encounter a big tractor coming towards you and you won’t know where to hide! One time, we had to reverse forever to give way to a stream of oncoming traffic that appeared before us, headed by a tractor.
Yes, we ended up buying 24 books!
If you love books, do spend a day in this unique town of books!
Okay, I’m literally obsessed with this place already, and I’ve never been, haha. I had never heard of Hay-on-Wye, but I’m definitely adding it to my bucket list and telling all of my other book-loving friends about it. So neat! Thanks so much for sharing all of this information. Now I can hardly wait to visit! Xx Sara
I almost got to Hay-on-Wye in November when I was in the Malvern Hills but run out of time. It is on my list of places to visit next year as I have seen and read so much about it I feel I need to experience it for myself.
How great to find such a gem as Hay on Wye in Wales. It looks like a lovely small town to wander. But I will go forewarned about parking. I love that there are things to do here for everyone. And some great outdoor sights too!
This town sounds really cute with books all over. I can spend a day here moving from one bookstore to other stores. With opportunities to hike and drive on country road surrounding the city, I know I will fall in live with Hay-on-Wye.
We are a family of three: two English teachers and our son, O, who is an avid reader. This little town was definitely made for us. We have had our trip to the UK cancelled two summers in a row due to Covid. Maybe summer of 2022 will be our time, and if so, we will definitely have to check this quaint town out!
This was such an unusual read. I could imagine myself walking down streets filled with books. It would make for an awesome holiday with scenic walks, slow reading and lots of coffee. What a lovely sight it looks from the photographs too.
Oh my gosh, you had me at books! What a sight it would be! Books on streets, quaint bookstores, books on the castle wall too. The book lover in me would never want to leave. What a gem of a place!
I have not been to Wales but have heard of Hay-on-Wye and it is a place I would love to visit. The view from Hay Bluff is gorgeous. Driving sounds a bit scary thought!
Admirable! Seriously, I don’t mind getting lost in this book town. The surrounding areas are even conducive for getting creative, being inspired, and writing a book. It seems a charming town to explore and revel in.
Wow! This is amazing. As a bookworm, this is an exciting place to visit as I have never seen books on the streets. I would really love to visit. Thank you for sharing this.
I’ve heard of Hay-on-Wye before, it looks incredible with books everywhere. Would love to visit, I’m in love with books.
This place is heaven to me; everything is so perfect here. The castle, meadow, the books, and I think it is not kidding to find book only 1 $ , woow. I would love to visit this place for sure.
I had never heard of a book town before, but it is all I will be thinking about now. I have to go! It looks adorable!
I love quaint towns like this. They are fun to take your time to explore, no hustle and bustle like in a big city.
How cool that this is the world’s first book town. I love the concept of this and that it’s an honor-system to take a book and leave your payment. It’s so comforting to hold a real, tangible book in your hands. I love that its so accessible for everyone!
We visited Hay-on-Wye in September and really enjoyed the place, so unique. Definitely ideal for a bookworm like me 🙂
What an adorable place!! I wonder what inspired Booth to make this into a book town? I would love to visit here. Wales is the only part of the UK I haven’t explored yet, so this is definitely going on my future itinerary!
My mum took me here when I was about 11 and I remember thinking it must be what heaven was like. Reading this post reminded me that I absolutely have to go back now that I’m in charge of my own pocket money!
Wow, this is truly a hidden gem. I had never heard of Hay on Wye, and certainly never even heard of a “book town”. What a cool a and unique place to visit though!
What a lovely location. The surrounding area looks amazing, though I can’t imagine having to drive in reverse through the hedged roadways.