A day out to Hay-on-Wye and Capel-y-Ffin

The day begins - after a brunch of bacon rolls we set off down this alleyway to the bookshops, but we were very good and only bought one book for me, and several for D, as we had promised.



The delights of the antiques stalls. I really, really regret not buying this. It is SO beautiful and exquisitely embroidered.


Here are a couple more of the rooms in the building - each one is rented by different people and has a different style, depending on what the vendors like to sell (or managed to buy).



Walking back up the High Street, we could glimpse across towards Clyro.


Then because it was such a superb day, we set off over Hay Bluff to the tiny chapel at Capel-y-Ffin. This is one of the views along the way.


As you can see, it was a single track road . . . with sheeps!


And it didn't improve further along - it's this narrow nearly all the way. You have to be good at reversing.


Here is the beautiful little chapel of St Mary the Virgin at Capel-y-Ffin (the chapel on the boundary). I love the crooked little tower. Kilvert said it reminded him of an owl. He was fond of walking up to it from Clyro (about 9 miles each way). How he would have loved that walk in such weather as we had today. Kilvert described it as ' the old chapel, short, stout and boxy, with its little bell turret, squatting like a stout grey owl among its seven great yews’.


It is surrounded by the seven ancient yew trees.


Here is the view inside looking towards the far end of the chapel. It is tiny - about 8 yards x 4 yards in size.


I hope you can read the words of Psalm 121: "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help." I had this Psalm read at my mother's funeral, as we were so surrounded by hills here at home, it was very apt. As it is at Capel-y-Ffin too.