Hay on Wye

I came to the Hay Festival last year where I had the please of meeting Hamza Yassin promoting his book.  I then gifted him the cowl I was making when I saw him again at Cheltenham Literary Festival , and was so proud when he wore it on the TV show BBC Countryfile a month later.

 

At the festival, they have a shop selling various types of merchandise.  I really liked this cute key holder, but then I do love items made from wood.

This quote was so apt as I have multiple books, some for writing and journaling in.  Some for sketching and a big variety of authors to read.

Each year they have this board with different quotes from different authors, it is such a great idea.  I put my sticker on the quote about books transporting you, which I definately find when reading. 

After having a walk around the festival, as no tickets had been booked to see any authors, it was an obligatory trip into Hay-on-Wye.

 

I have visited this town four or five times now and still really enjoy a slow wander, dipping in and out of the shops.  

 

Hay has a real mix of shops from artisan gift shops, a great range of coffee shops, a marketplace for stallholders and over 20 bookshops.  

 

It is incredible that a town with only just over 1,600 residents would have enough footfall for so many bookshops.   Yet the Hay Festival has been going since 1987, with people travelling long distances to attend.

 

One of the shops that I'd not been in before was a shop that sold the most amazing blankets.  Many of which had been passed down the family line.

Another independant shop Baaad Flockers was one that sold a selection of clothing.

 

The designs are the creations of Cookie Cartoonery who designed for the clothing brand Weird Fish , and there are some really great slogans available.

One of the bookshops I love to go in sells the most beautiful book covered books of the classics.  Even if I never read the books they would look so good on the shelf!

 

As it was Saturday they had the local market stalls with a huge mix of sellers.  Having recently been on a natural dye workshop I did love seeing these skeins of yarn all dyed with natural dyes.

 

I did love the knitwear in the Great English shop.  The Sissinghurst Womens Shetland Wool Fair Isle Cardigan being made in Scotland for them to sell.

On the way into town from the festival, which is a short but pleasant walk, the residents make the most of the footfall going past their homes and sell their wear's, many for charity outside in their front gardens.

I did so love these little woven basket and vowed if they were still there when I walked back I would buy one.  Sadly they had sold! 

Another thing I just adore about Hay is the cottages.  Nowadays for me houses have no character.  You could be miles apart from one town to another and the housing estates look the same.  Hay has like many small old towns have a lovely selection of lovely old cottages with so many different styles.

 

As I am currently on a crochet joyful journey I had to stop and photograph these blankets that were being sold for £15, and just look at the front stable door with the arched window detail!

The final treat of the day was seeing this great idea to transport you from the town to the festival in this wonderful horse and cart.