Hay-on-Wye Tourist Information Bureau

Iconic book town Nice place to have a stroll & a snack 2 hours probably enough time although parking for 2 hours in a motorhome £2 for 1 hour £4 for 2 hours so no incentive to stay longer & spend more money We did spend £40 in the shops

One of my favorite places in the world!!

Interesting book shops, is there anything else there oh yea good cafes.

Small and helpful tourist information centre. Lots of free leaflets about the area and places to visit.

With good location just in the middle of town and nearby bus stops with Lotz of leaflets and publications could be Really good Tourist Information Centre. COULD be because Lady who works on the desk over there do not know what she's doing or up to her mood treat tourist of good advice or give bad infos. Second one happen to me yesterday. I always visit Tourist Info Points wherever I go to get a free maps and with a bit of luck discover something which I didn't know about in that particular area. Before I go for a trip I prepare myself as good as I can. Read a lot and collect necessary informations and directions with advance. Yesterday my plan was to soak in atmosphere of Hay-on-Wye (which I did not visit never before) walking through the town and see some nice bookshops but the main attraction was climbing to Hay Bluff - highest and closest to the town summit of Black Mountains (which I've been few times in the past but just in Bleanavon). When I get to the Tourist Info Centre I start to look some leaflets and been politely ask if I need some help. Which I firstly rejected but after I collected two leaflets about the town and shops I decide to ask about some advice of the trail from town to the Hill. Lady first of all take a look of me and told straight through that this is really far away. When I told her that I know it might be far but this is nothing new for me as I do quite often 20-30 miles in Brecon Beacons she look at me suspicious asking if I did not put a lot of stuff to my backpack and do o have proper footwear. I ask does she knows best way to get there, as an answer I heard once again that a way is VERY long and VERY BORING coz it goes mostly by normal road without sidewalk. I knew it that Hay is on the Offa's Dyke Path and there are plenty of lovely trails but on that point I didn't want to say what I know. So after all I said Thank You to her and get out. I had impression that she did not want to pass me some good, proper informations. Maybe because I'm foreigner? - I thought after I left the office. After all I done my full trail in 4 hrs (with return, including getting to the top of the hill) in lovely dreamy-fairytale scenery. Exactly that was what I was looking for. But I can see that some people over here had quite similar experiences with this Lady. That's really bad when such a people works in such occupations. That makes a really bad first impression of the place. Unlucky to me at the end of the day, just before I left town I been cheated in local SPAR shop. This two experiences will keeps me aware of the people every next time I will visit this very beautiful area of Wales. Pity.