Hay-on-Wye became the world's first "book town" in 1961, now home to over 20 bookshops selling everything from rare first editions to second-hand paperbacks. The annual Hay Festival, founded in 1988, has grown into one of the world's most prestigious literary events, attracting authors, politicians, and thinkers from around the globe. The small town sits on the English-Welsh border beside the River Wye, with a ruined Norman castle and attractive streets of Georgian and Victorian buildings. Beautiful walking in the surrounding hills combines with bibliophile browsing.