Luxury self-catering accommodation near the Hay Festival
Book-lovers flock to Herefordshire in May, where the Hay Festival welcomes authors, poets, speakers and artists for a ten-day celebration of the written word.
Under the canvas of a magical tent in the Brecon Beacons National Park, the Hay Festival brings book enthusiasts together to read, hear and talk about all things literary. The festival is held in May between the two rural towns of Hereford and Brecon, and the journey there is all part of the joy: rolling hills and undulating landscape resulting in ten days of joyous bookwormery. Our luxury self-catering homestays in the area make equally idyllic bases to recharge in the evenings, all the better to energise guests planning to attend all those talks, lectures and debates.
The festival pops up on a green field site with all venues in close proximity, so expect to pad across boardwalks and carpeted walkways to get from point to point – all part of the unique Hay charm. With more than 600 events on the schedule there’s a lot to be said for keeping an eye out for early ticket releases: the festival is world-renowned so events do sell out. Alongside the academics and adult performers, there’s an equally popular children’s programme, plus that amazing countryside to explore when taking a break from the books.
Charity
Black Mountains, Herefordshire, UK
Modern rusticity, clever artistry and divine seclusion combine to make Charity the ultimate wild retreat for friends and family gatherings; set down a winding mountain road in the Olchon Valley near the Brecon Beacons.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
From: £3,395 per week, £2,550 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Wood-fired hot tub, sauna, outdoor shower, outdoor pizza oven, table tennis, snooker room, cinema barn and badminton lawn
Distance: Approx. 8 miles from Hay Festival as the crow flies
Weddings at Charity
Black Mountains, Herefordshire, UK
A big and beautiful celebration house hidden deep in the heather-clad hills of the dreamy Olchon Valley, yet just three hours from London, Charity embodies the very essence of wild and free.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests and accommodates up to 100 day guests
From: £7,150 per week, £5,695 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 50 & Up to 30 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Wood-fired hot tub, sauna, outdoor shower, outdoor pizza oven, table tennis, snooker room, cinema barn
Distance: Approx. 8 miles from Hay Festival as the crow flies
Hollyhocks
Wend through Herefordshire’s patchwork countryside and find this chalky Tudor cottage nestled on the banks of the river Arrow in the fairy-tale village of Eardisland.
Sleeps: Up to 6 guests (ideally 4 adults and 2 children)
From: £2,095 per week, £1,695 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well behaved dogs are welcome
Features: William Holland spa bath and outdoor kitchen
Distance: Approx. 13 miles from Hay Festival as the crow flies
The Sculptor´s Gardens
A luxury country escape overflowing in vintage fizz, this unique pairing of riverside properties offer the perfect retreat for large groups and families.
Sleeps: Up to 18 guests (16 adults and 2 children)
From: £5,495 per week, £4,550 per short break
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: William Holland spa baths, outdoor kitchen, tree house, cinema room, games room with pool table
Distance: Approx. 13 miles from Hay Festival as the crow flies
Atelier Rose
This luxury riverside home is a wonderland of vintage charm. Ring the old pull-string bell and push open the door to botanic coving, four-poster beds, an orangery with giant tin spa bath and secret topiary gardens.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests (10 adults and 2 children)
From: £3,395 per week, £2,695 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 6 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Large William Holland spa bath, cinema room, pool table room
Distance: Approx. 13 miles from Hay Festival as the crow flies
The Wilds
Crickhowell, Brecon Beacons, Wales, UK
This family home sat beneath the peaks of the Brecon Beacons has been sympathetically renovated into a countrified yet stylish abode, complete with a hot tub on the private sun terrace.
Sleeps: Up to 12 guests
From: £3,595 per week, £2,750 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 8 guests
Pets: One well-behaved dog is welcome
Features: Hot tub
Distance: Approx. 14 miles from Hay Festival as the crow flies
Celestia
Talybont-on-usk, Brecon Beacons, Wales, UK
Resting on an open clearing beneath the flat-topped peaks of the Brecon Beacons and cocooned by a tangle of woodland, this luxury self-catering farmhouse is an ode to mountain living in remote south Wales.
Sleeps: Up to 14 guests (10 adults and 4 children)
From: £3,295 per week, £2,595 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 8 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Features: Pool table, Steinway piano, fire pit with grill, and stargazing bowl
Distance: Approx. 18 miles from Hay Festival as the crow flies
Tincture
Llanwrtyd Wells, Cambrian Mountains, Powys, Wales, UK
A fairytale, off-grid cottage riding on the tides of nature in the heart of Wales' wild and little-discovered Cambrian Mountains.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
From: £1,995 per week, £1,495 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Two well-behaved dogs are welcome
Distance: Approx. 23 miles from Hay Festival as the crow flies
The Hop Store
Set within 150 acres of perfectly aligned hop yards, rolling meadows and juicy apple orchards, The Hop Store is idyllically situated on one of the last remaining hop farms in the UK.
Sleeps: Up to 4 guests
From: £1,695 per week, £1,295 per short break
Alternative Group Option: Up to 2 guests
Pets: Sorry, no pets
Features: Hot tub and fire pit, heated garden room, games room with bar, pool table, dartboard and giant jenga
Distance: Approx. 28 miles from Hay Festival as the crow flies
