Best known for a book festival held every June, Hay on Wye sits beside the River Wye, just inside the border of England and Wales on the Welsh side. If you miss the festival, browse the bookshelves in the grounds of Hay Castle, dropping a donation into the honesty box. Look out too for rare titles in Hay on Wye Booksellers or second-hand books in Richard Booth’s Bookshop, a multi-storey shop named after a local who is credited for establishing the town’s reputation for books.
Visit mid-week or out of season and you may wonder where everyone is. But the town comes alive every Thursday when 40 traders set up shop around the clock tower. The Cheese Market and 1830s’ Butter Market also feature stalls packed with locally picked produce, homemade apple juice and sheepskin rugs. Missed market day? Then browse the town’s antiques shops, buy a handmade woollen poncho from The Welsh Girl or visit galleries such as the Hay Makers instead. The cultural centre Globe at Hay, housed in a former church, also hosts exhibitions.
In summer, stroll along the old railway line that lines the Wye to The Warren, a popular wild swimming spot. You can also swim in a rock pool by the bridge at the glamping site By the Wye. With more time, hire a bike from Drover Cycles and explore the country lanes around the town or rent a dugout canoe from Want to Canoe? opposite By the Wye and paddle west to Glasbury or east to Whitney-on-Wye in Herefordshire. Keep an eye out for otters, kingfishers and leaping salmon.
On sunny evenings, dine in the garden of The Swan hotel, which is bordered with blooms, or book a table at the tapas restaurant Tomatitos. Come the weekend you can mingle with locals in the 17th century Old Black Lion, the family-run Blue Boar, which is draped in ivy, or the Three Tuns, which dates back to 1600.
Almost equal distance from Hay on Wye and the town of Brecon, Talgarth may see fewer visitors but that is part of its charm.
Every August bank holiday locals and visitors flock to Talgarth Festival of the Black Mountains, which sees food stalls line the market square, live bands and street performers and demonstrations of local crafts such as candle making, wool spinning and sheep shearing.
But the town has all the right ingredients for a day trip all year round, with stone cottages, St Gwendoline’s Church and the confluence of the River Ennig and River Ellywe, known locally as The Rocks. Visitors can also climb three floors inside Bronllys Castle or take a tour of Talgarth Mill, a working 18th century mill that grinds wheat grown from Llowes nearby. Buy a loaf, browse pottery, silver jewellery and handmade soap in the shop then have a pitstop in the café.
Llangorse lake is nearby. During the day you can cycle around
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