Hay-on-Wye & Talgarth

Hay-on-Wye sits on the north bank of the River Wye close to the England–Wales border. The town is best known for its concentration of secondhand and specialist bookshops and for the Hay Festival, when temporary marquees and author events appear along the riverbank. Narrow streets curve away from the bridge, past a medieval church and the shell of Hay Castle, which is being conserved and reused for exhibitions and community use. Small galleries, cafés and bookshops make the town a focal point for visitors interested in literature and riverside walks.

A short drive west, Talgarth occupies a market place on the northern edge of the Black Mountains inside the Brecon Beacons National Park. The River Ennig runs through the town and a restored watermill on the river now hosts local exhibitions and a café. Talgarth is a starting point for mapped routes onto the mountain slopes and for lowland walks through orchards and pasture. Country lanes and minor roads link Talgarth and Hay-on-Wye, offering views of hedged fields, farmsteads and the stepped skyline of the Black Mountains.