The World’s first book town

A perfect day for cycling to Hay-on-Wye.  We took the canal route initially which was a little more scenic that the Grand Western.  As an added bonus the signs only required you to go slowly under bridges, not to dismount.  We passed a few canal boats, including one in motion and one with a resident.  

We detoured through Llangors and as we climbed towards Talgarth, we had beautiful views across the farmland. We stopped at the Mill in Talgarth for an excellent coffee and carrot and pistachio cake before heading onto to Hay-on-Wye.

We met Kathy in the Cozy Café for a delightful lunch of potato and leek soup accompanied by a cheese and marmite scone.  We then wandered through the town visiting a few of the 20 plus bookshops that the town is famous for.  We had our photos taken under the sign proudly advising that Hay-on-Wye is the World’s first book town and Gateway to Wales. 

We viewed the river and then stopped at Shepherds Parlour for ice creams – apparently the second best in Wales, after the ice cream shop in Brecon. 

We enjoyed our ice creams in the sun beneath Hay Castle which opened in 2022 for the first time in its 900 year history before returning to our bikes and setting off on the 30 km journey home.

Some sheep decided to show us the way as we approached Pencelli and the steep rutted road back up to the house.  

Justin had lit the fire due to the cold and we enjoyed a wine before another lovely dinner.

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