Walks And Walking – Hay Festival Walks 2014

Walks And Walking – Hay Festival Walks 2014 – 22nd May – 1st June.

For 27 years Hay Festival has brought together writers from around the world to debate and share stories in the staggering beauty of the Brecon Beacons National Park and is summarised perfectly by Bill Clinton’s phrase, it’s ‘The Woodstock of the mind’.

Hay Festival was founded around a kitchen table in 1987 and continues to attract the most exciting writers, film-makers, comedians, politicians and musicians to inspire, delight and entertain. Visitor numbers have risen from 1,000 in 1988 to 250,000 people who now make the pilgrimage into the Welsh hills to feed their minds at this 11-day festival.

This year the Hay Festival and the BBC announced a major global partnership with unprecedented coverage across the BBC’s domestic television, radio and online networks, and globally with BBC World News.

You can find out more about the Hay Festival here and keep up to date with all of the news as it happens by following Hay Festival on Twitter.

Walks And Walking – Hay Festival Walks 2014

Now, with it being set in such a glorious location for walkers it would be rude not to pop out across the hills and enjoy some of the magnificent views and unspoilt landscapes… which is what I will be doing!

The official Hay Walking Festival happens between the 8th to 12th October 2014 but there are some walks planned for a few weeks time.

Kilvert’s Clyro – Sunday 25th May

A gentle walk using paths familiar to the famous Victorian diarist Kilvert, one time rector of Clyro. We head out from Hay on the Wye Valley walk up to Clyro and loop back, following paths, tracks and quiet lanes with fine views up to the Begwns and across to Hay Bluff and Twmpa.

A Glimpse into Hay Past: Hen Allt Common and the Digedi Valley – Tuesday 27th May

A walk to discover several pre-historic sites, including a long cairn and stone circle, a couple of old ruined farms, old farms that are still working farms, ancient tracks and other landscape features.

Craswell Priory – Tuesday 29th May

A lovely walk from Hay to the ruined Craswell priory via Cusop Hill, New House Wood and Cefn Hill, returning along Three Rivers Ride and Offa’s Dyke Path. This is a strenuous walk with 565m of ascent and some fairly steep descents, with wonderful views.

And, finally, there is of course Hay Bluff. I’m planning to do a walk that combines Hay Bluff and Twmpa as they are two of the best summits of the eastern Brecon Beacons National Park. However, the route includes ‘ridge walking’ which may not go down too well with my fear of heights! Anyway, I’ll give it a go and write it all up when I’ve completed it, or not as the case may be! Hopefully the promise of superb views across the Brecon Beacons and the Wye Valley should get me there.