Hay-on-Wye, Wales
Paradise for Book-Lovers and Antique-Hunters
(Llew and Chriselle near a picturesque bridge in Powys, Wales)
Over the years, my husband Llew has had many people recommend that he visit the Welsh border town of Hay-on-Wye in the UK. As a confirmed bibliophile, this is Llew’s idea of Paradise—a town that is devoted entirely to the sale of books. Naturally, we had to make a visit there and even those of you who do not collect books with the same seriousness that my husband does, will find something both charming and interesting in this little town.
Hay-on-Wye grew in importance as “The World’s Biggest Bookstore” after a series of fairs and exhibitions held annually in the town attracted the attention of book-lovers worldwide. Book-dealers and traders then began moving into the town to set up permanent establishments and before the town knew it, it had developed into the Bibliophile’s Capital of the World.
Set amidst the beautiful downs of the western United Kingdom, Hay-on-Wye, as its name suggests, nestles quietly in the fertile Wye Valley near Wales, home to fluffy flocks of sheep and the famous Welsh lamb. All along the motorway heading towards the town, we saw herds of cattle that seemed to cling to the sides of the hills as if magnetized as they grazed continually in the watery sunshine.
When we did arrive close to town, we stopped for the night at a rather enchanting B&B called Sunnymount in the lovely town of Ross-on-Wye. After a very satisfying “full English breakfast” the next morning, we spent some time in the beautiful perennial gardens which the landlady assured me “took a great deal of work”. The cat-lover in Chriselle was delighted by the resident Tomcat called Smudge . She had a great time chasing him around the flowerbeds (left) before we hit the road again, to wend our way in the direction of Hay.
Bordering Wales, the Wye Valley was made famous by William Wordsworth whose Tintern Abbey Ode was inspired largely by the natural landscape. Indeed, Tintern Abbey, now completely in ruin, can be easily visited and Wordsworth fans do make the pilgrimage to these medieval remains.
We arrived in Hay-on-Wye after a lovely drive through rolling fells and emerald-green downs. We found the names of the little villages we passed en route rather amusing, mainly because most of them were unpronounceable. One of them was actually named, get this, Bfhhh. How do you name a town without using any vowels whatsoever? we wondered
When you do arrive in the town of Hay, you will see that it has a central square from which a few streets radiate. There is a clock tower in the middle of the town that makes the best point of departure for any kind of exploration (left). The town has about 35 bookstores all clustered together on three or four principal streets. Browsing through them can be as quick or as leisurely as you choose to make it. Most of the booksellers specialize in a certain kind of book—Fiction or Military and Warfare, Children, History and Biography, and so on. This makes it simplicity itself for the true collector and Llew felt truly in his element. Both new and used books stand cheek-by-jowl on the crammed bookshelves. There is a charming air of antiquity about all the stores that matches the personalities of the dealers who make you feel warmly welcome as soon as you enter. Like book-lovers all over the world, they are always eager to talk about their collections, so if time is short, you are warned not to get into any prolonged discussions for fear that you might find it difficult to disengage yourself from one.
If book-seeking is not your cup of tea, Hay-on-Wye has a castle situated high on a hill that you can climb towards if you wish to enjoy some lovely views of the town (left) and the surrounding countryside. Even if you do not wish to get to the heights of its ramparts, you can stop halfway to explore shops of another kind—antiques shops, which I always find hard to resist. In fact, on my last visit there, I was able to pick up a beautiful English ceramic tea tray and a pair of 19 th century porcelain plates from the many multi-dealer stores that line the Antiques Market. Prices were quite competitive and there is something to suit every pocket. Best of all, shopkeepers are friendly and always willing to negotiate. If you lose your heart to an unusual bauble but cannot quite afford it, don’t hesitate to request the dealer to give you his or her best price. You will be surprised at how quickly they will try to accommodate your desire.
Book-hunting and antiquing done, I would recommend that you pick up a picnic lunch from one of the lively delis that are strewn all around the town. We feasted on cold pies and chilled apple cider in a nearby field before leaving in the late afternoon for our drive across the border and into Wales. Deciding to explore a bit of the Welsh countryside, we stopped for the night at Crickhowell in Powys county at a B&B called Greenvillas where we ate the reputed Welsh lamb at a pub dinner that night.
Traveling through some of the secret enclaves of the United Kingdom has always given us enormous pleasure and I have little doubt that you will find something that will tickle your fancy when you arrive at Hay-on-Wye.