Hay Festival with kids – what to do and where to stay: Hay-on-Wye is of course synonymous with the book festival. Drawing in an eclectic mix of authors, illustrators, artists and other creatives. It might sound like the last place you’d want to bring children but don’t be deterred by the literary focus; this is no extra reading class.
Children will be enthused and inspired by ‘Hay Fever’. An incredible array of talks and activities designed specifically for the young. Nowhere else can you get front row access to the world’s best authors, many of whose books our children have enjoyed.
This year our children learnt how to draw bears and hares with an illustrator, enhanced their descriptive language with a teen author, trained their brains with a neuroscientist and were empowered to make a difference to the world.
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They left feeling totally inspired, evidenced by our youngest and most reluctant reader having to be torn away from her newly-signed book in the evening.
The town is transformed during festival week. With seemingly every local resident opening up their doors and pop-up restaurants literally popping up everywhere. But Hay-on-Wye offers so much besides the festival.
This cosmopolitan town sitting in a beautiful welsh valley on the banks of the Wye river is a little-known family holiday gem. With tons of opportunities to explore and excite as well as expand young minds.
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Accommodation near Hay Festival
Where to stay near to Hay Festival?
Racquety farm, is situated on the meandering banks of the River Wye. Just outside the town of Hay ( -on – Wye).
Their farm is over 68 aces and runs along the banks of the river.
As well as welcoming camping and glamping guests, Ros still runs it as a working farm, with fruit trees and grazing sheep. Racquety has been in her family for over five generations.
Her campsite is green in both senses of the word.
It sits nestled among trees in the shadow of Hay castle which is beautifully illuminated by night.
You wake up to bird song and go to sleep listening to the distant chime of the church clock in the town across the river. We were struck by just how quiet it is.
There are 25 camping pitches complete with fire pits. These surround a mown meadow where children often gather for a game of communal cricket or rounders.
The showers are hot and powerful and kept clean thanks to the rugs and ‘no shoes’ rule inside the bathroom area.
It’s a short ten minute stroll into Hay over the bridge. But if you fancy eating on site there are varied pop up restaurants once a week serving delicious locally-sourced food.
We loved being on the banks of the Wye and it became a tradition to try and spot a dormouse, otter or kingfisher at dusk.
Their area is so beautiful, it’s been designated as a SSSI ( site of special scientific interest) and if you are keen to swim Ros can share all the best wild swimming spots.
If you don’t fancy bringing your own tent, Ros also has 4 glamping geo tents and 3 holiday cottages which are all on her website.
Ready to book – click here
Things to do near the Hay Festival
Bikes
Set against a beautiful rural backdrop you’d be crazy not to get out and explore.
And if you want to cover a good distance in a few hours we found biking the perfect solution.
We opted for the 24 mile black and white village route. A flatish Circular tour taking in lush vegetation, woods, and rivers.
Surrounded by such a rich tapestry of ancient forests and fields it’s impossible not to feel immersed into nature.
We spotted kites, wood peckers and buzzards.
In Almley there is the perfectly located pub and deli – hot sausage rolls straight out of the oven fuelled our second half.
If you are short on space in the car, Drover cycles has the solution. We hired their bikes for the day – our children were delighted as they were a clear upgrade to theirs at home.
Luke has a great selection of well maintained bikes, to suit every ability. And they’ll spend time helping find the right route for your family.
Ready to book – click here.
Horse riding at Hay on Wye
An alternative and novel way of exploring the countryside is on horseback. Whether you’ve ridden before or not Bryngwyn Riding Centre is nestled high in the hills just 20 minutes from Hay, and Becky and her team can take you on a hack, high into the hills.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the gear, as long as your wear trousers Becky will lend you riding boots and hats.
Stunning Views, with the Malvern Hill, the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains stretching out in every direction. Most of us had only been on a horse once before so being led on a lead rope was a reassuring option and meant we could enjoy the experience.
That said, Laura who led our family was keen the children gain some skills and taught those who didn’t know a rising trot while the more confident members of the family were riding solo.
Ready to book – click here
Canoeing Hay on Wye
The best way to explore the river Wye is quite simply on in a canoe. We opted for the 5 mile route starting from Hay finishing at the historic Whitney toll bridge.
There are many canoe outfits here but we chose to go with “ Want to canoe.” Not only do they have a private launch with allocated time slots which makes for a more private experience, but we were also given a short lesson with top tips before we began.
Despite it being festival week with a lot of people out on the river, we felt like we had the water to ourselves. Being a family of five they gave us the option of rafting two canoes together but we decided against this and had two ( and the dog ) in one, three in the other.
We stopped off at little beaches, swam in deeper parts, and spotted kingfishers. We loved it. For us five miles felt just right but if you’ve got the stamina there’s a 12 mile option.
At the end we jumped in George’s Land Rover and he took us back to where we started – so easy.
Ready to book – click here
We hope you’ve enjoyed our round up about Hay Festival with kids and all the things you can do nearby.
Find out more with our top festivals in the UK for families
