Booktown

Hay is the kind of place I love. Stone cottages, winding streets, and countryside all around. The B and B we stayed at, St Marys, is situated just a few minutes walk from the town, highly recommended if you are ever in the area. This was our second time, we were also there in 2010, and both times everything has been great. Our room was immaculately clean, and landlady Ann very friendly and helpful, even lending us her book of maps and places of interest to take out with us. We also appreciated her lovely breakfasts, and tea, coffee and biscuits in our room, replenished every day. I do like me a biscuit. 

On our first morning, after a lovely full English breakfast we set off to explore.

The Prof, outside the B and B. You may be able to spot him lurking in some of the other photos, a little Where's Wally-esque in his striped rugby shirt.

I love this country post box, set into the stone wall. Isn't it sweet?

 

I really don't know why I am facing the other way to the direction I am going.

There are two routes to the town, along the street or the longer, lovely walk by the river. We chose the latter, and went to explore the bookshops. I wish we'd had time to walk along the river path again another day, it was so green and peaceful.

Oh, to live somewhere with countryside all around....

Oh look, there's Wally!

Hay has a LOT of bookshops. Almost thirty, I think. most of them sell secondhand books, some of them news ones as well. Some are more general, others specialise in particular areas. These are just a few. I do love me a bookshop.

 

and there's Wally again!

Hay Castle. You can just about see the 'bookshop' sign in the window. 

We did a lot of browsing, I did quite a bit of sitting and reading (love bookshops with armchairs! Why don't we have those at home?) but we didn't buy many books this time. The Prof was on the look out for some specific academic tomes and didn't find them, I just made a few notes of some fiction books I might get from the library at a later date. I found a great volume of Leonard Cohen poetry I would have liked to buy, but there was only one copy and it was very battered, so I will put it on my Christmas list. I did spend a whole £3 on a cookbook , though.  I already have another book by the same author, entitled ' How to feed your whole family a healthy balanced diet, with very little money and hardly any time, even if you have a tiny kitchen, only three saucepans (one with an ill-fitting lid) and no fancy gadgets - unless you count the garlic crusher.' which is a great title, I think, and fairly apt for me. 

This is the pub we ate in most evenings. Slightly pricey, but pretty nice food. The Prof liked the beef stroganoff, I liked the lasagne. The chocolate marquise was so divine, I didn't bother to try anything else. I do love me a chocolate dessert.