Hay-on-Wye
Hay on Wye, Powys, HR3 5DG
Category: Mid Wales & The Beacons
Every year, book lovers the world over converge on the sleepy border town of Hay-on-Wye for its famous literary festival, held over ten days in May. It’s a charming town, literally bursting with antique and book shops, the largest of which houses around half a million books. The first one was opened by local man Richard Booth in 1961 and since then they have sprung up everywhere, in the old cinema and even the castle. The town is situated at the northern tip of the Brecon Beacons, between the Black Mountains and the River Wye, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. As a result, along with literary lovers, the town attracts many walkers, there to explore the Brecon Beacons and Offa’s Dyke. Hay-on-Wye’s castle, a fire-damaged Jacobean mansion built into the walls of a 13th- century fortress, is owned by Richard Booth, who also owns most of the town’s 30-plus book shops. Such is Booth’s pre-eminence in the town that he proclaimed the town independent of the UK in 1977 and himself king which can only add to the town’s popularity. South of Hay-on-Wye, one of the most awesome mountain roads in south Wales climbs up into the remote region of the Black Mountains.
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