Hay Festival – 25th May – 4th June 2023

A Literary Feast with 600 Writers, Thinkers, Innovators and Performers

I am lucky enough to live a short car ride away from the beautiful town of Hay-on-Wye which is on the England and Wales border and was the first town in the world to be known as the book town.

A picturesque and vibrant town with the beautiful River Wye meandering alongside, it is one of those places that makes you feel good and has so much to offer.  Aside from the many beautiful bookshops – the type where you can easily lose an hour browsing the shelves or sitting in a quiet corner while you decide what to buy – there is an array of eclectic shops ranging from old-fashioned antique shops to shops selling local produce, gifts, clothing and much more, together with a wonderful array of pubs, restaurants and cafés and there is even a castle.  And that’s all before we even get to the good part:  The Hay Festival.

In 1987, the Festival was dreamt up. Thirty-six years later, the unique marriage of exacting conversations and entertainment for all ages has travelled to editions in 30 locations, from the historic town of Cartagena in Colombia to the heart of cities in Peru, Mexico, Spain, and the USA.

The festival was founded in 1988 by Peter Florence and his parents Rhoda and Norman. Hay-on-Wye was already well known for its many bookshops before the festival was launched. Richard Booth opened his first shop there in 1962, and by the 1970s Hay had gained the nickname "The Town of Books". From its inception, the festival was held at a variety of venues around Hay, including the local Primary School, until 2005 when it moved to a unified location just south of the town.

HowTheLightGetsIn is the world’s largest festival of music and philosophy.

Hay Festival is the world’s leading festival of ideas with something for all ages. 600 writers, thinkers, innovators and performers.

Outdoors@Hay is an eclectic range of accommodation and exciting adventurous activities that make them the ideal place to stay in Hay on Wye.

If you get the chance, go and gorge yourself on talks by Mary Berry, Michael Parkinson, Clive Anderson and so much more.

There are daily yoga sessions and events from Hay on Earth which is a sustainability-focused series of events at the Festival. There are also a series of walks around the area.  All the information you need and a place to book your tickets is all on the Hay Festival website.

The Carn at Frith Meadow

If you are looking for somewhere to stay about 30 minutes away by car, or looking for a quiet break and somewhere to unwind and get away from it all at any time of the year, this is the perfect place for you.

I have stayed at The Carn and it is absolutely stunning.  An eco hand-built cabin, it sits in a meadow overlooking the valley with stunning views of the Herefordshire hills.  You can book your stay here.

What I’ve been reading this week

Helga Jensen’s Twice in a Lifetime is a great read. It’s a funny, uplifting romcom and will make you smile throughout and I found myself identifying with so many of the situations she describes.  This is the first of three books that Helga has written and I am heading over to Amazon to buy her recent novel, launched this week, Fly Me to Paris which went straight to No. 1 in the Hot New Releases category.  I can’t wait to read it!

A Weekly Helping of Rosy’s Ramblings From Now On

As I push forward with my ambition to publish a novel, I am finding that working as a Legal Assistant for four days a week, writing two blogs, Rosy’s Ramblings and Rosy’s Relationship Round-Up, plus trying to keep up with my forever mounting pile of ironing, is taking it’s toll and I will therefore only be posting on here once a week, every Sunday.  I would rather go for quality over quantity, especially as my time is now stretched to the limit. I also need time to read as much as I can and, of course, spend a couple of days wandering around and immersing myself in the Hay Festival!

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And on that note, that’s all folks! Have a great week.