Is there anything lovelier than visiting a really special bookshop?

It’s #LoveMyIndieBookshopWeek so I thought I’d take the opportunity to give a shoutout to my favourite independent bookshops.

I live in Wales, so how could I not start with a shop from the town of books itself, Hay-on-Wye? If you haven’t visited this sweet little town before and you get the opportunity to go, make sure you do. There aren’t as many bookshops in Hay as there used to be, but the original Booth Books is still going strong. Founded by the King of Hay, Richard Booth, Booth Books is on three levels and sells a mixture of new and second-hand books, with a particularly good children’s section, and has a cafe and cinema. https://www.boothbooks.co.uk/index.htm

We lived in Brecon for several years, and have many happy memories of visiting The Hours Cafe and Bookshop for the monthly storytime they used to hold there. A beautiful selection of books, hand-picked by the owners. https://www.thehoursbrecon.co.uk/

Also in Brecon is Brecon Books, a labyrinth of second-hand books, which I never manage to leave empty handed. https://www.facebook.com/Brecon-Books-100495511730168

In Crickhowell, you’ll find Bookish, a bookshop with lots of lovely booky gifts and a lovely cafe. https://www.book-ish.co.uk/ 

Crickhowell is also the home of Wales’ first zero waste shop, Natural Weight. https://naturalweigh.co.uk/ which I’d really recommend if you’re in the area.

Finally, hidden away in the middle of Carmarthenshire’s countryside on a market garden, and requiring a pre-booking so you have the whole shop to yourself for an hour is The Dragon’s Garden. The shop is small, but crammed full of beautiful books and you can also pick up fairtrade food and drink, gifts and fresh veg. https://dragons-garden.com/

Happy shopping!x