BBT member and Hay-based walking guide Sarah Price has spent years helping people slow down and notice what is around them. Her new Hay-on-Wye History Hunt brings that same local eye into the town itself: a 2.5km digital trail through streets, buildings and stories at the northern edge of Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park.
Made in Hay, for people curious about Hay
Sarah created the Hunt because visitors may know Hay as the Town of Books, yet still walk past much of the history written into its buildings, signs and street corners. The trail gives people a reason to pause, look more closely and ask what happened here.
This is not a generic route dropped onto a map. Its 20 clues have been chosen by someone who knows Hay and has spent years sharing local landscapes with visitors. It is a route made by a local person for families, couples, friends, groups and dog walkers who enjoy looking, talking and finding things out together.
“I’m really hoping to make this something that becomes part of the wider Hay visitor experience.” — Sarah Price
Sarah is a qualified walking guide, a Brecon Beacons Ambassador and the person behind Sarah Price Hiking, a BBT member business based in Hay-on-Wye.
How the History Hunt works
The Hunt begins beside the large carved Dragon at the top of Hay’s main car park. Visitors scan the QR code, purchase the Hunt and use one phone to follow the clues around real locations in the town—there is no app to download.
- 20 clues and locations
- Approximately 2.5km
- Allow around 1½–2 hours
- One purchase can be shared by several people using one phone
- A team option is available for friends who want to compete
- No fixed departure time or guide to meet
That freedom matters. People can start when it suits them, stop for coffee or a browse, and carry on at their own pace.
Start the Hay-on-Wye History Hunt
Let one Hay story lead to another
The Hunt is a good starting point, but it does not need to be the whole visit. Our BBT Hay-on-Wye member listing gives visitors direct routes to local places to stay, shop and explore, while the Bannau Brycheiniog Hay-on-Wye guide provides the wider destination picture.
Two of BBT’s newest Hay members add their own layers to the story. Hay Castle is one of the landmark preview points named on the Hunt. It brings medieval and Jacobean history together with exhibitions, events, a café and welcoming spaces at the heart of the town. Its ground-floor Great Hall, café and shop are free to enter, with castle admission and tours available separately.
Castello de Haye shows how old stories still flow into a modern Hay business. Its natural skincare and artisan soaps are handcrafted using spring water from Swan’s Well near the town. The business takes its name from a nearby 12th-century castle site known locally as The Tump—another reminder that Hay’s history is not confined to one building.
Local businesses can help visitors find it
Sarah has produced small window stickers and flyers for accommodation providers, shops, cafés and other local businesses. If guests or customers ask what they can do with a spare couple of hours, the Hunt is a simple, flexible recommendation.
To request a sticker or flyers, contact Sarah at info@sarahpricehiking.co.uk or call 07570 946 074.
Plan more of your time in Hay
Explore BBT member businesses in Hay-on-Wye
Read the Bannau Brycheiniog Hay-on-Wye guide
