Kites, books and walks
Watch the red kites circle and dive for their dinner at Gigrin Farm. Meet birds and owls from everywhere at the Small Breeds Farm and Animal Centre. And see the oldest medieval map in the world at Hereford Cathedral. Come for the book festival and stay for the mountain walks or the arts on offer at The Globe at Hay.
Country kids
Head over the border to see the red kites circle and dive for their dinner at Gigrin Farm. Stay there for a wonderful walk around Devil’s Bridge. Ride horses at up to 1200 feet with the Bryngwyn Riding Centre. Or head down to the Brecon Beacons for an on-water adventure with Celtic Canoes.
Meet many rare and miniature animals, birds and owls from all over the world at the Small Breeds Farm and Animal Centre. Watch out for Tilly the tortoise, still only three inches long at the age of 26. Or rev things up and take on the 600-metre outdoor go-kart track at Herefordshire Raceway.
The whole family will love Croft Castle and Parkland, with its vineyard, orienteering course, adventure play area, walled garden and orchards. Head into Hereford to paint pots at Manic Ceramics, to ride the Broomy Hill Miniature Railway, or to scale the walls at Green Spider Climbing.
Pack a picnic and spend a day on the canals with Beacon Park Day Boats. See the Mappa Mundi, the largest existing medieval map, and the Chained Library at Hereford Cathedral. Or let Black Mountain Activities guide you through archery, kayaking, abseiling, mountain biking or high ropes.
For the grown ups
Bookworm? Hay-on-Wye is books central, with specialist shops at every turn and the literature festival in late spring. Enjoy a book while up a hill? You’re in the right place. From Westbrook’s door on the edge of the Golden Valley, you can scale Merbach Hill and Little Mountain, with Hay Bluff and the Black Mountains just a short drive away.
Further afield (need a minibus? Just ask), you can canoe the River Wye, hire mountain bikes from Drover Cycles, pony-trek for a whole or half day, or take waterfall walks in the Brecon Beacons. Stay outdoors for caving, potholing and gorge walking with Life Changing Activities.
Sail the skies with Herefordshire Gliding Club at Talgarth. Take a history walking tour around Hay. Book a select private screening at the local cinema or a natural photography workshop. Or see the best of the natural world with a guided walk up Hay Bluff, Cat’s Back or Pen y Fan.
Out for the evening? Try dog-friendly Tomatitos for tapas or River Cafe in Glasbury overlooking the River Wye. Meanwhile, The Globe at Hay’s the place for a monster beer garden plus music, poetry, fashion shows, children’s workshops, comedy and philosophical talks.
Big nights In
House too nice to leave? No worries. We’re big on on-site entertainment here. Kick off the evening with a private-dining experience care of Ananda Hill or Field 2 Fork, then let them load the dishwasher while you pop a Prosecco out on the patio. Stay there for a long, lazy lounge in the hot tub with the stars shooting above.
Up the competitive action in the big barn, with its table-tennis table, then collapse on the hay-bale seating afterwards. Get pampered with an in-room massage or treatment from spa beautician Eternal Therapies. Keep the theme going with an evening spent creating your own perfume or beard oil.
Make the most of the light summer evenings, foraging in the field hedgerows for tomorrow’s salad. Book a botanical gin-making session, learn the ancient art of letterpress, learn to weave structured patterns in a zentangle art workshop or sharpen your pencils for a life-drawing class.
Work out whodunnit on a murder-mystery evening, get flexible with a group Pilates or yoga session with a private tutor, walk with birds of prey or get stuck into a wreath-making workshop. Or just fire up the TV and make it a movie or match night as the wine flows and the logs crackle in the hearth.
