Visit Hay-on-Wye “the town of Books” and explore the brecon Beacons
On the edge of Wales’ 2nd largest national park is heaven for all Bibliophiles. Hay-on-Wye. With more bookstores per square mile than anywhere in world, the ancient small town near the Wales / England border, the “Town of Books” is a must visit for any bookworm. This tour not only gives you the chance to explore the many bookshops in Hay-on-Wye, but also gives also opportunity to explore Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons)
Your driver for the day will meet you at your hotel at around 9:30am. Leaving Cardiff you will be driven north towards Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons). You will be driven through Wales’ 2nd largest National Park as you make your way to Hay-on-Wye
The worlds for “Book Town”, Hay-on-Wye is a must for any bibliophile visiting Wales. You will have a few hours to explore the town, and discover bookstores that range from pristine, organised stores, to ones that appear to be more organised chaos with rooms off rooms off rooms, and books piled up on the floor. As you move from bookstore to bookstore you will find the latest releases, 2nd hand books, first editions. New books, ancient books, and books on just about every single topic and genre under the sun.
After returning to your driver, you will be taken up Gospel Pass. At over 550m above sea level, Gospel Pass is the highest road in Wales. Near the summit of the pass, your driver will pull over, and give you chance to take in the breath taking views across Bannau Brycheiniog and up into Mid Wales. On a clear day, you can see the Cambria Mountains in the distance.
If you can tear yourself away from the views, you will head further into Bannau Brycheiniog. You can watch the scenery of green rolling mountains and woods out the windows and fall in love with the beauty of the park, as you make your way around the mountains and through the woods to Brynich Lock on the Brecon and Monmouthshire Canal
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Your driver will drop you off near the former lock keepers cottage, and you will enjoy a gentle stroll along the Brecon and Monmouthshire Canal. Along the way, you will have more views across Bannau Brycheiniog, have the chance to watch the rapids from the banks of the River Usk which runs along side the canal. Visit former limestone kilns and look at various sculptures along the path.
Around 2 miles from the Lock Keepers Cottage you will arrive in the the Brecon Canal Basin, where your driver will be waiting for you.
Re-united with your driver, you will head back towards Cardiff, passing Pen-y-Fan, the tallest mountain in the UK, south of Snowdonia, along the way
- During the winter months, particularly November to March, it will be dark around 4:00pm. For safety reasons, the walk along the Brecon & Monmouth Canal will not be included as the path is not lit. During these months, you will return to Cardiff directly from Hay-on-Wye
- The Brecon & Mon Canal Walk is approximately 2 miles long, and the path is a well maintained flat, largely gravel path, along the entire tour. It is estimated the walk will take around 45 minutes
- Every year in May / June Hay-on-Wye holds the Hay Festival of LIterature and Arts, which is the largest Literary Festival in the world. In 2026 the festival is from 21tst to 31st May. The main Festival site is outside the town, but during the festival the town can get very busy and your driver may not be able to park in or near the town. If they are unable to park they will drop you off near the town, and go and park elsewhere, and return at an agreed time.
- During the festival traffic can also be a lot heavier, and we remove the right for the driver to remove the Brecon & Canal Walk during the festival
- There is an entry fee to visit Hay Castle in Hay-on-Wye, and this would be payable directly to the castle on the day, should you wish to visit it whilst in Hay-on-Wye
