“Hello this is my rotting castle and I am the decaying King of Hay,” bellows the eccentric Richard Booth, as he welcomes me amongst the tottering piles of books which have made his fortune.

While we speak, the country’s most famous bookseller, recovering from a recent stroke, frantically tidies all around him. He doesn’t need to organise these piles himself; he has plenty of people to do that for him, but that’s not his style. For Booth has always done things in the way he wants, most famously when he bought Hay castle in 1971, and declared Hay-on-Wye an independent kingdom in 1977.

April Fools

This year, Hay-on-Wye, the world’s first official town of books, celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of its independence. Every April Fools Day, the self-styled King Booth holds court in one of the few remaining rooms in his castle, badly damaged by fires over the years, and people from far and wide gather to be given honorary titles. Anyone can attend this ceremony and with a little advance warning given to Booth’s secretary, you can walk away a Duke or a Princess armed with a very official-looking certificate stamped with the King’s red waxy seal. 

Hay Festival

And there is a great deal to bring the visitor to Hay. The town has evolved more than the visionary Richard Booth could have ever imagined. No longer a quiet little town snoozing at the foot of Wales’s Black Mountains Hay-on-Wye has become a holy mecca for bookworms and hosts the literary equivalent to Glastonbury: The Guardian Literature Festival. It town is a thriving, stylish social hub and a visit to Hay-on-Wye no longer has to be with the sole purpose of mooching in bookstores all day. Delis, boutiques and crafts shops have sprung up all along the cobbled streets,  and you can now trawl for anything from exquisite lingerie sets to antique chandeliers.

Here are just a few of the must sees in this town traditionally just known for its books.

A Foodie’s Heaven 
 
For such a small town it is surprising how good the food is. There may not be many restaurants but it’s about quality not quantity. Oscars and The Old Black Lion pub must feature during your stay.

A stylist grab-a-table-if-you-can bistro, Oscars, is a bit of a local institution, serving lunch and afternoon teas. Everything is made fresh on the premises, including the chips. Take your pick from wholesome jacket potatoes, lasagnes, soups and quiches. They also do a mean pannini. Parisian Toulouse-Lautrec prints adorn the walls while jazzy croons fill your ears.  Expect to be sufficiently stuffed and well-watered for under £10.

 The Old Black Lion is all you ever wish for in a pub and more. Better to save this place for dinner. Just make sure you book in advance. Low timber beams and red carpets give a cosy environment and the food is a gastro feast. They do generous portions of all the usual pub-grub favourites  along with more exotic dishes such as the mouth-wateringly good Moroccan lamb coated in fig and apricot compote. Starters range from £5-10 and mains around £15.

The Main Event

Books still dominate Hay with over 40 bookshops lining the streets, many of them specialist. For the authentic experience, why not ascend the steps to the crumbling castle and visit the most charismatic of all Booth’s bookshops: the Hay Castle Bookshop. This specialises in art, photography and North American Indians, all interests of the Queen of Hay herself, Mrs Booth, a former photographer. If you are on a tight budget, step outside onto the forecourt and enter The Honesty Book Shop. Pop 50p for a hardback or 30p for a paper back into a box before making off with a steal of a bargain.

For another memorable bookish experience, head to the Hay Cinema Bookshop with its  200,000-strong collection of antiquarian books and collectors’ pieces.  A relaxed space, where time seems to stand still while you lose yourself in a Dickens first edition.

The Antique Scene

Hay is also becoming treasure trove for fine antiques. For the broadest range, clocks, linen, period clothes, Victorian dolls and fine china, try The Hay Antique Market. There are 18 different dealers, each with their own unit under one roof.  Beware of the room filled with clocks though; it will temporarily disrupt your sanity.If you are looking a more specialist experience, and worth a peek just for the aesthetics, head for the beautiful Goosey Ganders. Experts in Italian chandeliers they take 19th century pieces (originally powered by candles, of course) and rewire them. If you think a chandelier looks stunning in a room, just imagine what a room covered in them looks like!

Bountiful Boutiques

For a girly experience (ladies may need to ditch the men at this point) head for Sigi’s. The notion of Hay having its first ever lingerie shop may have raised a few eyebrows but stylish Sigi’s is very much in keeping with the area.

Another gorgeous boutique Llewelyn and Company is a shop totally dedicated to decorative living.  Pastel-coloured soft furnishings, quilted cushions and spotted milk jugs are the style, so if you enjoy the doll’s house image, this is a stop for you. Although rather pricey, with the average teapot costing £40, each piece would look the part in the perfect English country house.

Arts and Crafts Abound

This is another area which has developed massively over the last few years. Local talent is in abundance and this is reflected by the many galleries and crafts shops around the town. There is a fantastic craft centre in the heart of the tourist information complex. Particularly striking Eirian Studio Glass. All of the items are made on site and hand-finished, with inspiring use of colour making each piece, whether it is a paperweight, a cocktail glass or a mirror, glow and stand out.

A recent addition is The Black Hill Gallery which opened just over a year ago selling the paintings and prints of Crispin Thornton-Jones. The lovely thing about this gallery is that is owned and run by the artist himself, who has been painting the surrounding Black Mountains for 30 years. His paintings are rich in colour, texture and mood. Every detail of the landscape is picked up, from the brooding mountains to bubbling rivers in the valleys. The fact that he also regularly exhibits in London but chooses to sell his wares on the streets of Hay, makes this gallery a real find. An original oil will set you back  £2,000-5,000 but you can pick up a limited edition print from between £150- 400.