Hay-on-Wye is known the world over as the capital of second hand books. With numerous specialist book shops and some huge shops such the Cinema Bookshop with 200 000 volumes it is a real mecca for the book lover. But Hay is not just about books - there are numerous good cafes, pubs and places to eat. Outside Hay there is some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK to explore. You can walk from Hay straight up into the lovely Black Mountains. On- and off-road cycling is spectacular and a week could be spent exploring without going down the same lane twice. Flowing through the middle of the town is the River Wye, and this is a good base for hiring a canoe to explore the river. It's a good river for families, and the rapids are generally not too difficult. Or a full day's canoe trip can be taken from Glasbury to Whitney, and normally takes 5 hours with a lunch stop at Hay-on-Wye. Riding is wonderful too. Monmouth Canoe and Activity Centre Provides canoe, kayak hire and qualified BCU instruction courses along the river Wye in Monmouthshire, together with corporate activities and group adventure days in the wye valley area.

Go home with a stash of second-hand books, bought for a song at one of the many bookshops, or invest in a rare first-edition; visit lovely shops, such as The Great English Outdoors for really original presents, including locally-made leather goods and vintage Welsh blankets. The Globe is a really 'happening' venue for art and music festivals, and productions of all kinds. There is a traditional market, held on Thursdays in the Memorial Square, the Butter Market and around the Town Clock, from 8am to mid afternoon.

Drive up towards Hay Bluff and down into the Llanthony Valley for some truly spectacular scenery: you will be rewarded by sightings of wild horses, remote farms and beautiful hillscapes. The Famous Llanthony Priory is a picturesque ruined Cistercian Abbey, one of the many victims of Henry v111's dissolution. But there is plenty left to see, as well as an unusually-sited pub right within its walls, and its situation is majestic (those Cistercians knew a thing or two about good alluvial soil for growing their crops - essential for their excellent cooking). On the way, the hamlet of Capel-y-Ffin is worth a stop-off for its charming little chapel, one of the smallest in Wales, which reminded the diarist Francis Kilvert of an owl. Capel-y-Ffin means Chapel of the Boundary, being close to the border of England and Wales. This small community was the last stronghold of the Welsh language, as well as home to the immensely talented and eccentric artist Eric Gill. This valley was one of the locations for the recently filmed Resistance, adapted from the novel by local writer and poet, Owen Sheers. Another local artist and poet, David Jones, who was a friend of Eric Gill, features in this story.

For a superb 'out of town' food shopping experience, visit the Oakchurch 'Country Department Store and Garden Centre' (or the 'Harrods of Herefordshire' as it is described by locals) near Staunton-on-Wye. This is where you will find excellent local meat, vegetables and groceries. Superb ciders, apple juices, freshly made bread, preserves, sweet things (including superbly good sheep's milk ice-cream by Shepherd's), home-made ready-cooked meals, and a variety of smoked and cured products will leap into your basket. But it is also a good place to stock up on necessaries, as well as some items for your garden. Children will enjoy the play area as a reward for not complaining (there is a toy shop, too), and there is also a cafe for well-priced cooked food and coffee.

A trip up the Welsh Marches will reward you with beautiful unspoilt countryside and some very interesting and handsome towns: Hereford (for its cathedral and the famous Hereford Mappa Mundi), Ledbury (for nice shops, including Tinsmiths, the Ledbury Poetry Festival or the nearby Big Chill Festival at Eastnor Castle), Ludlow (for its castle, town houses, antiques, deli and cheese shop), Leominster (for Berrington Hall and Burford House Gardens), Kington (for Hergest Croft Gardens) and Knighton (for its clock tower and castle mottes, as well as the nearby Spaceguard Centre & Observatory, housing a telescope for monitoring asteroids and Europe's largest camera obscura).