On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, Erstwild Wales by Nick Kingsford retraces a 169-mile journey through Wales, blending history, nature, and humour to explore the timeless spirit of the Welsh landscape in the footsteps of 19th-century linguist George Borrow.
Erstwild Wales
In Erstwild Wales, author and mapmaker Nick Kingsford invites readers on a remarkable 169-mile journey through the heart of Wales, retracing the footsteps of 19th-century linguist and adventurer George Borrow. This newly released travel memoir is more than a recounting of a long-distance walk; it’s a vibrant conversation across time, blending history, nature, and personal reflection to explore how the Welsh landscape—and life itself—has evolved over 150 years.
In 2004, just after his 60th birthday, Kingsford set out to recreate Borrow’s 1854 trek from Caernarfon to Swansea, as chronicled in Borrow’s classic Wild Wales (1862). A prodigious walker fluent in Welsh and several other languages, Borrow covered up to 30 miles a day, immersing himself in the culture, language, and terrain of rural Wales. Inspired by Borrow’s account, Kingsford meticulously followed the same route, visiting the towns, villages, sites, and inns that shaped Borrow’s journey. What emerges in Erstwild Wales is a grounded, gently humorous reflection on continuity and change in a country whose spirit remains as enduring as its rugged landscapes.
Kingsford, a former land surveyor with a deep love for maps, navigation, and the natural world, brings a unique perspective to this journey. Educated at Queen Elizabeth’s Boys Grammar School in Barnet and Hornsey College of Art in London, he later settled in South Wales, where his passion for the region’s culture and history took root. His memoir weaves together vivid descriptions of the Welsh countryside with meditations on its language, poetry, and traditions, all while acknowledging the modern world’s inevitable imprint. From ancient footpaths to contemporary life, Kingsford captures the timeless act of walking as a way to connect with both place and past.
Erstwild Wales is a love letter to the Welsh landscape and its enduring spirit, offering readers a rare chance to journey through time as well as terrain. Whether you’re drawn to long-distance walking, Welsh culture, or literary travel writing, Kingsford’s engaging and heartfelt narrative reminds us of the quiet power of putting one foot in front of the other—and the wonder that comes with it. As Kingsford muses, he wishes he could have met George Borrow (1803–1881), but through this book, he brings the spirit of Borrow’s Wild Wales vividly to life for a new generation.
Nick Kingsford
I decided to follow his route from Caernarfon and to record how the culture, countryside and infrastructure of Wales had changed in the intervening decades. I intended to stay at the same hotels and visit those towns, villages, sites and inns that Borrow had visited. By some lengthy study of his book in conjunction with modern OS maps, I plotted a route that would trace his line of walk as closely as possible.
My account of my adventure – Erstwild Wales – does indeed show how a century and a half of ‘progress’ had altered the essence of Wales. It also describes the beauty and serenity of this glorious stretch of rural Wales. The total distance was 169 miles, and it took me 11 days of fairly strenuous walking. I hope that my book is as entertaining as Borrow’s but in an entirely different and less intellectual way.
–Nick Kingsford
Nick was educated at Queen Elizabeth’s Boys Grammar School in Barnet and at Hackney College of Art in London. He re-trained as a land surveyor then worked producing maps and plans throughout the UK, finally settling in South Wales.
This book brings together his love of maps, navigation on foot, the natural world, language and poetry.
Find more from Nick Kingsford now:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HD0ivq
Publisher’s website
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