Hay-on-Wye is a small town on the Welsh side of the border with England, and it is famous for one thing: books. It declared itself an independent kingdom of books decades ago, half as a stunt, and the joke stuck. The result is a place with more secondhand bookshops than seems possible for its size, drawing browsers from all over the world to its quiet streets.
Losing an afternoon
The pleasure here is aimless. You wander from shop to shop, each with its own character, from grand multi-room warrens to tiny specialists in poetry or maps or crime. Prices run from pennies to serious money for rare first editions, and the staff tend to be the kind of people who actually read what they sell, which makes asking for a recommendation worthwhile.
Beyond the shelves
- Visit the open-air honesty bookshop in the grounds of the castle, where you take a book and drop coins in a box.
- Browse the antique and craft shops dotted between the bookshops; the town has more than literature to sell.
- Walk down to the River Wye, which loops past the town, for a green hour away from the printed page.
When to come
Most of the year Hay is sleepy and all the better for it, with empty shops to browse at leisure. The exception is late spring, when the famous literary festival takes over and the town swells; go then for the talks and the buzz, or avoid it if you prefer your browsing peaceful. The countryside around, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, gives you walks and views once you have had your fill of paper.
There is no railway station, so you arrive by car or bus, which keeps it a touch off the beaten track. Stay overnight in one of the inns and you get the town in the evening once the day visitors have gone, which is when its slightly eccentric, bookish charm comes through most clearly. Bring an empty bag. You will not leave with one.