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Photo of Bannau Brycheiniog, a National Park in Wales.

Bannau BrycheiniogPhoto guo fengrui / Pexels

Places to explore near Hay-on-Wye

Famous for its secondhand bookshops and its literary festival, Hay-on-Wye sits on the River Wye where the water slips from Wales into England beneath a ruined Norman castle. The town backs straight onto the Black Mountains: the long escarpment of Hay Bluff and Twmpa rises within a couple of miles, and the Offa's Dyke Path runs along the ridge. Beyond lie the higher tops of Bannau Brycheiniog and the secluded ruin of Llanthony Priory in its valley.

Hay-on-Wye sits inside the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. 92 places within 25 km — the standouts first, nearest first within each group.

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Worth the tripnational icons and local highlights within reach

Photo of Hay-on-Wye, a village in Bannau Brycheiniog, the Powys, mid Wales.Highlight

Hay-on-Wye

Village

Book town on the Wye at the edge of the Black Mountains, with more than twenty bookshops and a famous festival.

0.1 km NE · Powys

Photo along the Offa's Dyke Path, a 177-mile National Trail running from Chepstow to Prestatyn, Wales and England.Highlight

Offa's Dyke Path

National Trail

The length of the Welsh borders, tracking the eighth-century earthwork that once divided kingdoms.

0.1 km W · spans 8 counties

Photo: Hay Bluff (Pen y Beacon), a viewpoint near Hay-on-Wye in Bannau Brycheiniog, the Powys, mid Wales.Highlight

Hay Bluff (Pen y Beacon)

Viewpoint near Hay-on-Wye

Steep scarp on the northern edge of the Black Mountains with wide views over the Wye valley.

2.2 km S

Photo: Gospel Pass, a viewpoint near Capel-y-ffin in Bannau Brycheiniog, the Powys, mid Wales.Highlight

Gospel Pass

Viewpoint near Capel-y-ffin

The highest road pass in Wales, threading between Hay Bluff and Twmpa above the Vale of Ewyas.

7.2 km S

Photo along the Cambrian Way, a 298-mile long-distance path running from Cardiff to Conwy, Wales.Highlight

Cambrian Way

Long-distance path

The mountain connoisseur's route over the roof of Wales — Cardiff to Conwy by way of the Bannau, the Cambrian wilderness and Eryri.

7.3 km S · spans 9 counties

Photo: Black Mountain, a 704m hill near Capel-y-ffin in Bannau Brycheiniog, the Powys, mid Wales.Highlight

Black Mountain

Hewitt · Nuttall near Capel-y-ffin

Remote western escarpment of the Beacons.

7.4 km S

Photo of Arthur's Stone, a chambered tomb near Dorstone, Herefordshire, central England.Highlight

Arthur's Stone

Chambered tomb near Dorstone

Neolithic burial chamber with a huge capstone.

9 km E

Photo of The Golden Valley, a landmark near Peterchurch, Herefordshire, central England.Highlight

The Golden Valley

Landmark near Peterchurch

The quiet valley of the River Dore in western Herefordshire, a run of rolling farmland, castle ruins and old churches.

12.2 km E

Photo of Hergest Croft, a Grade II* registered house & garden near Kington, Herefordshire, central England.Highlight

Hergest Croft

House & garden near Kington

National collections of maples and birches, planted by five generations of one family.

14.9 km N

Photo of Llanthony, a village in Bannau Brycheiniog, Monmouthshire, south east Wales.Highlight

Llanthony

Village

Remote hamlet in the Vale of Ewyas below the Black Mountains, set beside the ruins of an Augustinian priory.

15.6 km SE · Monmouthshire

Photo of The Harp, a pub near Old Radnor, the Powys, mid Wales.Highlight

The Harp

Pub · With rooms near Old Radnor

A hilltop Welsh longhouse inn with wide views, named national Country Pub of the Year 2020.

16.9 km N

Photo of Weobley, a village in Herefordshire, central England.Highlight

Weobley

Village

Jewel of the black-and-white trail, with crooked timber-framed cottages and cruck houses clustered round a wide green.

19.7 km NE · Herefordshire

Photo of Church of St Martin, a church near Cwmyoy in Bannau Brycheiniog, Monmouthshire, south east Wales.Highlight

Church of St Martin

Church near Cwmyoy

Medieval hillside church at Cwmyoy famous for its extreme tilt, the walls and tower thrown out of true by an ancient landslip.

20.2 km S

Photo of Table Mountain (Crug Hywel), a landmark near Crickhowell in Bannau Brycheiniog, the Powys, mid Wales.Highlight

Table Mountain (Crug Hywel)

Landmark near Crickhowell

Flat-topped hill above Crickhowell crowned by an Iron Age hillfort, giving the town its Welsh name.

21.6 km S

Photo of Pembridge, a village in Herefordshire, central England.Highlight

Pembridge

Village

Medieval Arrow-valley village with a 700-year-old inn, a rare detached bell tower and a timber market hall.

22.6 km NE · Herefordshire

Photo of Brecon Cathedral, a church in Bannau Brycheiniog, the Powys, mid Wales.Highlight

Brecon Cathedral

Church near Brecon

Former Benedictine priory church set in the only walled cathedral close in Wales, mostly 13th and 14th century.

22.8 km SW

Photo of Brecon, a village in Bannau Brycheiniog, the Powys, mid Wales.Highlight

Brecon

Village

Market town at the meeting of the Usk and Honddu with a cathedral, Georgian streets and a Norman castle.

22.9 km SW · Powys

Photo of Crickhowell, a village in Bannau Brycheiniog, the Powys, mid Wales.Highlight

Crickhowell

Village

Usk-valley town below Table Mountain, with a prize-winning high street of independent shops and an odd-arched 1706 bridge

23.8 km S · Powys

Photo: Sugar Loaf, a 596m hill near Cwmyoy in Bannau Brycheiniog, Monmouthshire, south east Wales.Highlight

Sugar Loaf

Marilyn near Cwmyoy

Conical landmark hill above Abergavenny.

24 km S

Photo of Kilpeck, a village in Herefordshire, central England.Highlight

Kilpeck

Village

Tiny village hidden west of Hereford, world-famous for the carvings on its Romanesque church.

24.5 km SE · Herefordshire

Highlight

Black Mountains Smokery

Farm & farm shop near Crickhowell

Artisan smokehouse in Crickhowell producing oak-smoked salmon, meats and cheeses, with a shop.

24.5 km S

Also nearbygood places nearby, nearest first

Photo along the Wye Valley Walk, a 136-mile long-distance path running from Chepstow to Plynlimon, Wales and England.

Wye Valley Walk

Long-distance path

Following the Wye upstream from Chepstow's castle through gorge, orchard and moorland to the river's source country on Plynlimon.

0.2 km N · spans 4 counties

Photo of the River Wye, a river navigation running from Hay-on-Wye to Bigsweir Bridge, England and Wales.

River Wye

River navigation

Britain's canoeing river, running lock-free down its wooded border gorge from Hay past Ross and Symonds Yat to the tide at Bigsweir.

0.2 km NW · spans 4 counties

Photo of The Old Black Lion, a pub near Hay-on-Wye in Bannau Brycheiniog, the Powys, mid Wales.

The Old Black Lion

Pub near Hay-on-Wye

17th-century coaching inn in Hay-on-Wye known for its restaurant and beamed bar.

0.2 km E

Pen-y-Wyrlod Long Barrow

Chambered tomb near Hay-on-Wye

A Neolithic chambered tomb in Powys.

2.5 km S

Photo along the Herefordshire Trail, a 154-mile long-distance path in central England.

Herefordshire Trail

Long-distance path

A circuit of Herefordshire's five market towns — Ledbury, Ross, Kington, Leominster and Bromyard — through orchard and hop country.

5.4 km NE · Herefordshire

Photo of Black Mountains, a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Capel-y-ffin in Bannau Brycheiniog, Herefordshire, central England.

Black Mountains

SSSI near Capel-y-ffin

A Site of Special Scientific Interest in Herefordshire.

5.5 km SE

Twmpa

Hewitt · Nuttall near Capel-y-ffin

A 690-metre peak above Gospel Pass, nicknamed Lord Hereford's Knob.

7.3 km S

Photo: The Begwns, a 415m hill near Hay-on-Wye, the Powys, mid Wales.

The Begwns

Marilyn near Hay-on-Wye

A Marilyn — a hill with 150 m of drop on every side in Powys.

7.7 km W

Photo of The Pandy Inn, a pub near Dorstone, Herefordshire, central England.

The Pandy Inn

Pub near Dorstone

Reputedly the oldest pub in Herefordshire, a 12th-century inn in the Golden Valley village of Dorstone.

8.4 km E

Everything else within 25 km (62) — reserves, earthworks & places to check before travelling

Ordered by how far each place is worth travelling for, then by distance. Distances are straight-line to the nearest edge of each place — paths wind, of course.