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Hay-on-Wye in Wales is known for two things — a hay festival, and its books
Let’s take a trip: you’re on holiday and you’re walking down the street. You look up and see a bookstore. Of course, what better way to spend the cold evenings if not with a book and a nice fireplace. So, you turn to enter and realise that the street is full of bookstores. All sorts, no less – from the rarest ones to new releases. Nope, you’re not in heaven. This is Hay-on-Wye, or, as it is more popularly known, the 'town of books'.
Tucked between the English-Welsh border, this town is known for two things — a hay festival and its books. And both its names reflect just that.
The story goes that in 1961, a man named Richard Booth opened the town’s first second-hand bookstore in an old firehouse. He had heard that a lot of American libraries were closing down and he decided to gather the books that were a bargain. Soon, many others in the small town followed suit, each with their own niche. The town soon became synonymous with second hand, rare, and curated bookstores. In fact, it also hosts an annual literary festival!
While many of us read to travel, sometimes, perhaps, we can travel to read too. You know, just to mix it up a little.