SUMMER may not always bring sunshine but it does bring a bumper crop of festivals. One of the best is Hay Festival, which runs this year from Thursday, May 26 to Sunday, June 5.

Though essentially a literary festival, its scope broadens annually, with music lovers and film buffs well catered for.

Comedy, politics, art exhibitions and farm visits feature too, along with an imaginative choice of children's events. Altogether, this year's programme boasts an impressive list of famous names.

Hay is a small Brecknockshire town, situated below the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Despite the beauty of the scenery, Hay was not well known until Richard Booth decided to tackle the economic recession caused by local agricultural decline.

He hit upon the idea of second-hand books as a way of reviving Hay's fortunes. It was in 1964 that he opened his first bookshop, with the ultimate intention of creating a world-famous 'book town'.

In 1976 he campaigned for 'Home Rule for Hay', and the following year proclaimed it an independent kingdom. The resulting publicity worked wonders, and Hay now has 39 bookshops.

The first festival took place in 1988, organised by a small group of local people. The festival is now worth more than £2m a year.

The resident population is 1,300, but around 80,000 visitors are expected over the festival period. Some of those are certain to be from Worcester, so here's a superb walk for anybody who would like to enjoy the local landscape as well as soak up some culture.

Approaching Hay from Hereford, you arrive at Oxford Road, with its cluster of facilities: bus stops, car park, information centre and toilets. From this point, walk a few paces back towards Hereford, to find Offa's Dyke Path. It's just past a doctors' surgery, directly opposite the Hereford bus stop.

Once found, the path is easily followed through fields and woods - just look for the acorn symbol accompanying the waymarks. Eventually, the path turns right to meet a lane, where you turn left. Very soon, it leaves the lane again, on the right.

Further fields lead towards Upper Danyforest Farm. A stile gives on to the farm access track and Offa's Dyke Path continues opposite, towards the Black Mountains. Turn left instead, along the track.

Turn right when you reach a lane and walk to a junction. Go straight on towards Craswall, soon descending to cross Esgyrn Brook. Take a track on the left, a few metres beyond the brook.

The track descends and bends right beside Dulas Brook, soon coming to a footbridge and a shallow ford. Cross into Herefordshire, staying on the track as it climbs into New House Wood (a forestry plantation).

When the track bends left, go straight on instead, as indicated by a waymark. A little further on, a fallen waymark post indicates a path on the left - ignore this, staying on the forest track. Eventually, you will come to another poorly waymarked junction where you turn left.

Stay on the forest track until a waymark points left to a grassy path, which leads through conifers to sheep pasture. Follow the left-hand edge, then continue along a track to meet a lane. Turn left.

Join the second footpath on the left, opposite a farm track and a plantation. Follow an embanked path across Cusop Hill until a waymark directs you obliquely right. Head towards a hawthorn, of which only the crown is visible at this stage. As the tree comes fully into view, so does a stile in the fence beyond it.

Having crossed the stile, continue in the same direction. As Hay appears below, head towards it, keeping left of rock outcroppings and old quarry waste to another stile.

Head downhill, keeping well to the right of scrub, rocks and nettles, and you'll see another waymark. The path becomes unclear after this, but begin by continuing downhill as indicated by the waymark.

You should soon meet a well-defined track which descends to the right. Don't join this track. Cross it instead, heading left towards Hay. Pick your way down a steep slope of low-growing gorse to cross a stile in a fence. Cross a track then go diagonally to the lower left corner of a pasture.

Walk across another pasture, soon meeting the left-hand edge. Just keep straight on now, until a gate gives access to Cusop churchyard. Walk straight through, to the left of the church, then turn left along a lane.

Descend to a junction and turn right. After passing Rosedale, turn left to cross Dulas Brook into Brecknockshire. Rejoin Offa's Dyke Path and return to Hay.

FACTFILE

Start: Oxford Road (B4348), Hay-on-Wye, grid ref SO 230422.

Length: 71/2 miles/12km.

Maps: OS Explorer OL13, OS Landranger 161.

Terrain: Pasture, woodland, plantation, hilly but not steep.

Footpaths: Mostly excellent.

Stiles: 14.

Parking: Oxford Road, Hay.

Public transport: Train or bus (420) to Hereford, then Stagecoach 39 Monday-Saturday, Yeomans 40 Sunday/bank holiday; Herefordshire Council 01432 260211 or www.herefordbus.info

Refreshments: Excellent in Hay.

PLEASE NOTE This walk has been carefully checked and the directions are believed to be accurate at the time of publication. No responsibility is accepted by either the author or publisher for errors or omissions, or for any loss, accident or injury, however caused.