Hay-on-Wye - Riverside & Books Town

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Detective Mystery around Hay-on-Wye's riverside and books town, with Detectives joining the Sherlock Detective Agency during Hay-on-Wye's annual literary festival to trace who stole Enid Wrighton's handwritten manuscript from her hotel and the weapon they claimed to have.

The investigation covers approximately 1 mile and should take around 1 hour to complete. You'll start from the main Oxford Road car park, head out by the Craft Centre, follow riverside paths, investigate the Market Square and market house, then work through Hay's bookish town centre before heading back into the car park.

This Trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. The route can become muddy after prolonged wet weather, especially down by the river, so suitable waterproof footwear is strongly advised.

Take care at pedestrian crossings and when crossing roads. Bridge Street has narrow pavements and busy roads, and the river section includes paths by the water, with the road bridge a notable point on the route.

Getting There

By car: Start your investigation at the main Oxford Road car park (HR3 5AJ). Leave your squad car here, then exit on foot by the Craft Centre and cross at the pedestrian crossing.

By public transport: Make your way to the main Oxford Road car park to begin the case. The circular route finishes by heading back into the car park once the evidence has been gathered.

Need the Loo?

Toilets are available in the Craft Centre at the start, and behind the clock tower between Clues 08 and 09.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

Four-legged Detectives are welcome to join the investigation 🐾

Keep canine colleagues close on Bridge Street, where pavements are narrow and roads are busy, and take care at crossings. The route also follows paths by the River Wye and can become muddy after prolonged wet weather, especially down by the river, so be ready for damp paws as well as detective work.

Food & Drink Stops

Sleuthing through a book town is hungry work.

There are cafes, pubs and restaurants from Clue 08 to the end. You can also pack a picnic to enjoy after Clue 06, or pause at the picnic area reached after the river section, at the top of the path under the bridge. Hay also has many bookshops along the way, including Rose's Books in Broad Street and Murder and Mayhem in the town centre.

Want to Make a Day of It?

Hay-on-Wye Literary Festival

Hay-on-Wye is famous for its Literary Festival, making the manuscript mayhem feel right at home. Running at the same time is the 'How The Light Gets In' festival, which embraces philosophy and music. Both are in tented villages just on the outskirts of Hay itself at the end of May every year.

Richard Booth's Booktown

Hay's bookish fame owes much to Richard Booth MBE, who dubbed himself 'King of Hay'. He opened his first bookshop in the town's former fire station in 1961 and was honoured with an MBE in 2004. After his death in August 2019, the bookshops filled their windows with black books - a suitably dramatic detail for Detectives roaming a town of stories.

River Wye

The investigation follows the River Wye, which is 136 miles long and has free navigation along its waters. It rises at Plynlimon, along with the Severn and Rheidol, and is noted for salmon and the Twaite shad. It makes a scenic stretch of the case, especially if you pause for a picnic after the river section.

Hay Castle

Hay Castle towers over the narrow streets with proper mystery-story presence. The Norman castle replaced an earlier, smaller castle erected on an artificial mound, and according to legend it was rebuilt in one night by the wife of William de Breos carrying the stones in her apron.

Market Square and Market House

The route passes the Market Square, where Detectives will find clues in the market house. Both can be seen even if the gates are locked, so the case can continue either way. Market days are Thursdays, when it can be busy, so allow a little extra patience while gathering the evidence.