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.

Hay Castle with bookshelves
Narrow alley with clock tower

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.

Hay Cinema open books
Addyman Bookstore

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

Both the hotels are situated at the heart of town where all the action is.

Reading on the sun deck

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:

Trericket Bridge

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

Scenic Hay-on-Wye
Hay bluff

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.

Narrow streets of Hay on Wye

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!

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Hay-on-Wye in Wales, UK - Pin

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