Where Stories Line The Streets
Finding bliss in Hay-on-Wye
Dear Friend
How are you today?
I’m feeling rather fine, the sun is shining, and it’s Friday, and I’m off on a bookish adventure to one of my favourite places in the whole wide world.
With the arrival of spring’s gentle warmth, my soul begins its regular longing for a trip to one of Britain’s most beguiling destinations - the utterly gorgeous hamlet of Hay-on-Wye. Nestled along the English-Welsh border and cradled by the majestic Brecon Beacons, this bibliophile’s paradise has an irresistible pull, beckoning me back time and time again. A place where I get to lose myself amongst its winding lanes and treasure filled boutique stores.
I’ll let you into a little secret, if you’re joining my “Creative Unblocking” weekend retreat with Emma Gannon in November, this stunning bookish town is only 6 miles from our retreat venue. I know, a day trip to Hay should be on every creatives bucket list!
From the moment I turn off the motorway and meander deeper into the lush patchwork countryside, a sense of childlike wonder and creative possibility awakens. The rambling hills that I’m so familiar with have long been a soothing sanctuary for poets, writers, and creatives seeking refuge from the hustle and bustle of city living.
Truth be known, I am magnetised to the centre of Hay on Wye, as though its heart beats in time with mine. I love everything about this eccentric town, maybe it’s the unique character of its vintage bookstores, cute boutiques and slow pace of life that wins me over every single time.
Today I’m visiting just before the world’s literary set descends for the internationally famed Hay Festival. Thankfully, there will be a calmer hum through the village as shopkeepers meticulously arrange their goods in their shop windows and fix bunting in a zig zag as far as the eye can see. After meeting my parents for lunch, we’ll surely meander from book store to market stall, and no doubt purchase some sweet treats along the way. Well it would be rude not to eh?!
On each list to Hay, I always find something new has taken root and blossomed - a pop up shop, an impromptu garden illustration or perhaps a smiling local, eager to regale me with tales of the village’s offbeat history woven in with some recent small town gossip. What’s not to love about this secret gem. To step through Hay’s archways is to enter into a wondrous realm where stories quite literally line the streets, sparking infinite journeys of the mind. It honestly feels like walking onto the set of “Alice in Wonderland”. For for a few hours, I lose myself in literary magic and let my imagination weave like whispers down the streets. I wish you could join me, maybe one day the stars will align so fellow Substackers can meet IRL and enjoy the wonder of Hay.
Until the next time
Take care and stay safe xx
What’s On 'with ease'
Creative Unblocking Weekend Retreat with ease & Emma Gannon - only 1 bedroom left available. 16th-18th November 2024
Rage on a Page - next series now open for bookings, I’m looking to work with 4 women and there are 2 spaces left available. June 2024
Digital Detox Weekend Retreat with ease & Tanya Lynch. A retreat which gives you the opportunity to reignite your soul off screen, located in a stunning beach house, nestled in a bay along the Cardiganshire coast.
About me… I’m Tanya Lynch, a mother, a ridgeback owner and the founder of Ease Retreats. I love what I do, collaborating with authors and creatives, hosting retreats in beautiful venues across the UK. I’m also a therapeutic journaling coach and through my program Rage on a Page, I help midlife women channel their emotions into something more positive and creative in less than 60 days. Each Thursday I host an online journaling club called Journal with Ease and it’s free for paid subscribers to attend. If you have any questions about the benefits of therapeutic journaling, please reach out and connect. I’m usually on a beach walking the dogs, hosting retreats or hanging out here on Substack.
Oh, thank you for sharing such vivid impressions. When I lived in Australia, I'd listen to the podcast interviews from the festival, and I was dying to go. I need to work it into my plans, my schedule. I'm also jealous that I'm missing Bath fest this year. I wonder if 'travelling literary fest guest' is a job...hmmmm
I can’t believe you are going without me!! X