Book #21

Wild Wales, The People, Language and Scenery

George Henry Burrows

Wild Wales is the account of George Burrows' walk through Wales in 1854.  Now, we are not talking about a little walk, we are talking about months of walking across a major portion of Wales.  He starts in Chester and enters Wales traveling to Wrexham and then on to Llangollen.  He spends some time at Llangollen while he walks all over the surrounding area.  Then, a long journey takes him out as far as Holy Head on Anglesey, on a round trip that eventually totals nearly 200 miles, all on foot.
 

After covering North Wales, Burrows begins his journey through South Wales.  Now, while stationed at Llangollen, his wife and daughter came to Llangollen with with him.  They only take a couple of short walks with him, always staying behind at the house in town.  As he began his trip south, they returned to England to wait for him.
 

He started south as Fall started, crossing South Wales on foot.  He travels something over 200 miles south through Wales to Swansea and then east to Chepstow.  That is the end of his journey in Wales.

Aside from the description of the landscape, Burrows tells us much about the Welsh people that he meets.  He was a student of Welsh poetry, and many of his side trips are to visit the home or birthplace of some great Welsh poet.  He also tells us some very amusing stories about certain famous Welsh persons.  At least they were famous in the 19th Century.
 

Wild Wales is not a travel guide.  I cannot find most of the places that he mentions, so reconstructing his trip using Bing maps has been difficult.  It isn't really a travelogue either.  It could be called a travelogue, based on the descriptions of where he went, as well as the local history, but it is interspersed with tales of individuals he met along the road, and his reaction to them.
 

So, should you read it?  Probably not.  I read it in little bites over a long time, and I am not disappointed that I did, but I doubt I will ever read it again.