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Borrow had been interested in the Welsh language and its literature since his teenage years, so he was most unusual in being an Englishman who spoke Welsh (albeit rather haltingly). At this period Welsh was commonly spoken throughout Wales, and in the remoter regions it was the only language of a large proportion of the rural population.

Borrow was very enthusiastic about Welsh poetry, large amounts of which he had translated in his youth, and he would travel miles out of his way to visit the birthplace of a Welsh poet or bard, often reciting passages aloud as he walked along.

The attraction of the book however is in the way he engages with everybody that he encounters on his rambles, and the book is full of lively conversations with ordinary Welsh people. We also get a much more mellow version of Borrow, often gently self-mocking, even sentimental.

The book received mixed reviews when it was first published but is now acknowledged as one of the best accounts of Wales at this period, and it is the only book of Borrow’s that has constantly remained in print. It is possible to still trace the route of all his excursions, and as such the book has led to several 'In the Footsteps of George Borrow' travelogues both in print and on the radio and TV.