Turns out heaven is a place on earth, and it’s on an industrial estate just outside the M25. 66 Books is a huge wholesale warehouse selling books for 70% less than retail price. It’s only open to the general public on select weekends, but keep reading for the full story on this magical place.
A brilliant place to wile away the hours, 66 Books has a huge range of brilliant stuff on offer. Everything is 70% off its marked retail price, so you can grab some serious bargains. They have hardbacks and paperbacks, fiction and non-fiction, kids’ books and cookery books, and all manner of genres. There’s even activity books for children, as well as stationery and games. If you need to power up for some serious browsing, there’s also a coffee cart serving up coffee (naturally) and some lovely baked treats.
You might find yourself in a queue if you arrive in the morning, but there are plenty of books to go round – just make sure you’re in before 4pm to allow plenty of time for pottering and page-turning. If you are worried about queues, keep an eye on their Facebook page throughout the day as they tend to update it with estimated wait times.
An important thing to note is that it’s not a bookshop in the standard sense, so you’re encouraged to be mindful as you shop and put any books back where you find them if you change your mind – just to avoid too much chaos.
When is 66 Books open?
66 Books is only open to the general public on select weekends – typically two weekends in a month, but you can check for exact dates over on their website. Opening times are 9am-6pm, but they cannot guarantee entry after 4pm. The next open weekends are August 31-September 1, followed by September 21-22.
Is it free to visit 66 Books?
You have to become a member to visit the warehouse, but it’s only £2 per year for your whole household. So, in other words: the first visit will cost £2, but any subsequent visits within the same annum will be free. You can’t pay for your membership in advance, you just pay on arrival.
How to get to 66 Books?
66 Books is based on an industrial estate in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. It’s best to drive there if you can, but you can also hop on a train from London Euston to Hemel Hempstead in just 26 mins, where you can then hop in a cab for approximately 12 minutes.
So, if hours of flicking through books (and bringing them home with you, of course!) sounds like heaven to you, 66 Books might just be the perfect day trip from London.