Alternative Things To Do in Hay on Wye

Hay on Wye is known for walking and for books, but if you aren’t into either of those leisure pursuits you might like some of the other things the town offers.

Indie Shopping

I love going to Hay on Wye for a day’s poking around in the shops there. There are some great independent gift shops and I can always find something a little bit different for a friend’s birthday or an anniversary gift for one of the family. When I go to Hay on Wye I always try and park in the huge Oxford Road car park (4 hours for £2.50) and then walk down Backfold past the wonderful Wool & Willow’s shop and turn right on reaching Castle Street. I can then mooch along popping in and out of the different shops depending on what I am looking for.

Thursday is market day and the town is really buzzing then which is lovely, but it is worth getting there a bit earlier to make sure you get a car parking space.

Art and Antiques

The Lion Gallery in Hay on Wye is one of our favourite places to visit when we go to the town. What we love most about it, is we know that if we fall in love with a painting, we may be allowed to take it home and hang it on the wall to see if it ‘works’ in the house. How brilliant is that? There is always something new and different to admire in the gallery and a visit to Hay on Wye is not complete unless we put our heads around their door.

There is no shortage of antique shops in the town although they don’t yet rival the book shops!  We don’t really have a favourite though.

Foodie Favourites

Hay on Wye has a food festival in June and another one in November and both feature stalls showing off local producers’ wares. Fresh from the farms there are most things from meat to artisan bread to ice-cream - the best being Shepherds of course! Its the original sheep’s milk ice cream, an ice cream with less than 7% fat  - gotta be good for you we think! Their ice-cream parlour is bang slap in the centre of town, you can’t miss it. Or if ice-cream isn’t for you on a cold winter’s day there are plenty of award winning cafes, pubs and restaurants to dive into!

Hay on Wye has its own gold post box in honour of Paralympian Josie Pearson from the 2012 Olympics too! The Hay on Wye Murder Mystery uses the gold box as a clue, so you will be sure to see it if you follow the Trail.