Hay Festival 2013: Hay-on-Wye travel guide By car From the M5, follow signs for Hereford, then for Hay-on-Wye. From the M4, follow signs for Abergavenny, then Brecon, then Hay-on-Wye. For your satnav, the address is: Dairy Meadows, Brecon Road, Hay-on-Wye, HR3 5PJ. By train The closest station if travelling from England is Hereford (21 miles away) and the closest from Wales is Builth Wells (19 miles away). Routes and train companies include: First Great Western: from London Paddington, Reading (rail/air link from Heathrow) and Oxford. Arriva Trains Wales: from south-west Wales (Swansea, Cardiff, Newport, Cwmbran and Abergavenny), north Wales (Wrexham and Gobowen) and England (Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Wilmslow, Crewe, Shrewsbury, Church Stretton, Craven Arms, Ludlow, and Leominster). London Midland: from Birmingham New Street, Bromsgrove, Worcester Foregate Street, Great Malvern and Ledbury. Railway enquiries: 0845 748 4950; nationalrail.co.uk. By coach Hereford bus station is served by coaches from London Victoria, Heathrow airport, Cirencester, Gloucester, Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, Derby, Birmingham and Worcester (0871 781 8178; nationalexpress.com). By bus Route number 39 from Brecon to Hereford via Hay-on-Wye runs six to nine services a day, depending on the date (stagecoachbus.com). Festival bus link A bus service linking Hay-on-Wye/the festival site with trains and coaches at Hereford's train and bus stations runs throughout the festival. Bus tickets are available as an "add-on" when booking rail tickets to Hereford; ask for a "Hay Festival" bus ticket at the same time. Adult £6.50 single, £10 return; child £2.60/ £4.70. Tickets can also be bought on arrival at Hereford station. Getting around Parking There are three dedicated festival car parks: Llanigon Road; Brecon Road (B4350) and Clyro (overflow parking five minutes from Hay on the A438, only used in extreme wet weather). Parking costs £5 per day (£3 after 6pm) and includes free use of Richard Booth's Bookshop Bus. Avoid parking on the roads in Hay. Shuttle bus This runs regularly between the festival site and Hay town centre throughout the festival. Day tickets for the shuttle bus cost £1 (free with a festival parking ticket). Taxis A taxi-share scheme is available from A28 Taxis (01874 754007), Julie's (07899 846592) and A1 Cabs (07910 931999). Hay is easily accessible on day trips from surrounding areas, but if you are planning to stay, the "bedfinder" service (01497 821526; beds@hayfestival.org) provides details of available accommodation, including rooms in local homes during the festival period. It costs £10 per booking, plus accommodation costs. The Tourist Information Centre (01497 820144; hay-on-wye.co.uk) is helpful and there may be vacancies in the wider area available through visitherefordshire.co.uk. Wye Meadow Camping (01291 629379; peak-performance-consultancy.co.uk/haycamping). Book for the duration and the 10th and 11th nights are free, and children under 15 stay free. Snoozebox (0845 092 0174; mysnoozebox.com). Pop-up hotel accommodation in an apple orchard close to the site. Continental breakfast included. Bluebell Tents (01497 821520; bluebelltents.com or racquetyfarm.co.uk). A festival site based at Racquety Farm provides luxury tents, free on-site parking and a café; there is also b & b accommodation in the farmhouse. Plas Bach at Lower House Bed and Breakfast (01497 820773; lowerhousegardenhay.co.uk). Luxurious self-catered summerhouse located in the garden of the main b & b. Renting a cottage There are still a handful of properties available through Brecon Beacons Holiday Cottages (01874 676446; breconcottages.com) during May in Hay-on-Wye. Crickhowell, a 30-minute drive away, has more availability. Sugar and Loaf (01873 890415; sugarandloaf.com) offers luxurious cottages and barns in the wider area and provides a useful chart showing availability across all of its properties, many of which still have availability during the festival. Sykes Cottages (sykescottages.co.uk) has a limited number of cottages for rental in and around Leominster, Hereford and Ross-on-Wye. Cae Crwn in Brecon, sleeping six, is currently on special offer at £449 for the first week of the festival. Also look at telegraphcottages.co.uk. Where to eat and drink The Swan Bistro at Hay Hotel (01497 821188; swanathay.co.uk). Locally sourced dishes with a French twist. Richard Booth's Bookshop Café (01497 820322). Phenomenal value for brasserie treats; not bad for books, either. Also home to a cinema at weekends. Tomatitos Tapas Bar (01497 820772). Friendly and well-run. The Old Black Lion, Hay (01497 820841). Top pub grub. The Blue Boar (01497 820884). Central location, cosy. The Radnor Arms, Llowes (01497 847460). Gastro-pub with great food and superb views. The Felin Fach Griffin, Felin Fach (01874 620111). For high days, holidays and festivals. Shepherds Ice Cream Parlour (01497 821898). Sixteen flavours, seasonal specials. Mr Pernickety has comprehensive reviews of Hay restaurants: download for £2.50 from misterpernickety.com. Some shops in Hay close at midday on Tuesdays. There are cashpoints at HSBC, Barclays and NatWest banks. All venues, restaurants, cafés, bars and bookshops within the festival have wheelchair access. Students can get free tickets on a first-come, first-served basis from May by calling the box office (01497 822629).