Hay-on-Wye

Richard Booth opened a bookshop in Hay in 1962 and kept opening more, buying stock by the container from America and turning a small border town into a place with more secondhand books than residents; the model was copied worldwide and Hay is the original book town. On 1 April 1977 Booth declared Hay an independent kingdom, appointed himself king and his horse prime minister, and sold passports and titles, a stunt that drew exactly the press attention he wanted. Around twenty bookshops still trade, some specialised to a single subject, along with honesty bookshops in the castle grounds where books are left outdoors and paid for in a box. The Hay Festival, founded in 1988, runs for ten days each late May and brings very large audiences to a town of about fifteen hundred people.

What you actually see

• The bookshops - around twenty, several specialised to one subject.
• The honesty shelves - outdoor books in the castle grounds paid for in a box.
• The 1977 declaration - the independence stunt that made the town's name.
• Hay Festival - ten days each late May in a town of fifteen hundred people.

When to go

April to October for the town; late May for the festival, when accommodation for miles around books out a year ahead and the town is entirely given over to it. Winter is very quiet and some shops reduce hours.

Honest expectations

The number of bookshops has fallen from its peak and some premises have changed use. Festival week makes parking and eating difficult without a booking. The town is small and can be walked in an hour if books are not the point.

Nearby

The Black Mountains rise south; Hereford and the Wye valley lie northeast.