I've had Hay-on-Wye on my radar for a while (I'm Dutch, so it is a doable holiday destination by train and bus). The surrounding area looks interesting as well, and the mountains certainly appeal to me. You make it sound worthwhile. How are the prices? London's second-hand bookshops seem to be notoriously overpriced (not surprisingly due to rent and costs).
For now the only things holding me back are the fallout of Brexit and Corona.
My wife and I visited London three years ago and popped into bookshops wherever we could find one (Word on the Water, the London book barge was nice), but the best haul we had was on a day trip to the Isle of Wight where we rode the train to the end of the line and hiked to Ventnor where a festival was going on. In a churchyard an old man had a vintage bus he brought to England from Paris for the sole reason that he fell in love with it (the bus, not Paris), so he bought it when it was too old for its public transport role and restored it. It was filled with second-hand books for the occasion (for a charity I think it was), and we came away with a dozen books and a lovely chat.
I don't think I've ever really considered the prices. They're always just 'a few pounds'. Doesn't seem necessary to worry over it given how good the experience is.
If you're buying genuinely valuable or rare older books over the £50 mark I might stop and think, but I'm usually not browsing for that kind of book - I'm already looking on AbeBooks etc.
For now the only things holding me back are the fallout of Brexit and Corona.
My wife and I visited London three years ago and popped into bookshops wherever we could find one (Word on the Water, the London book barge was nice), but the best haul we had was on a day trip to the Isle of Wight where we rode the train to the end of the line and hiked to Ventnor where a festival was going on. In a churchyard an old man had a vintage bus he brought to England from Paris for the sole reason that he fell in love with it (the bus, not Paris), so he bought it when it was too old for its public transport role and restored it. It was filled with second-hand books for the occasion (for a charity I think it was), and we came away with a dozen books and a lovely chat.