Welsh Book of the Month for February in Waterstones, WHSmith and Independent Stores!
'Griff Rhys Jones is searching for that Welsh part of himself that he has felt ever since being forced to sing in the choir in church and pack down for the school first XV, all in suburban Essex.
"Well, er, the clue is in the name…" The man was gazing steadily at Griffith Rhys Jones, son of Elwyn and Gwynneth, scion of Megan and Ieuan and Evan, spawn of Betws-y-Coed, Penmachno and the Rhondda, dark of hair, thick-thighed and round-faced. Griffith Rhys Jones. I was born in Cardiff. My mother was from Ferndale in the Rhondda, my father from Penylan. Every single one of my relatives… were Welsh. I think I am Welsh.
But am I insufficiently Welsh? It’s time to find out. That is what this book is all about. I am going out on the road to search for my Celtic roots and explore "the land of my aunties". Language, the landscape, rugby, dogs, legends, botany, wildlife, furniture and a few more bits on the side: I looked into them all and here are the results.'
In this informal guide to Wales, Griff Rhys Jones rediscovers “the land of his aunties”. Born in Cardiff but raised in Essex, Griff is returning home on a mission to explore the real Wales: the one beyond the tourist trail that exists in the deep beautiful countryside, full of hidden treasures and eccentric characters that makes this country so unique.
With help from a hidden hand, Griff is set a number of quests in eight distinct regions that not only test his knowledge of his homeland but his body too, as he climbs, abseils, rides and canoes his way through some truly breathtaking scenery.
Join Griff on his journey through Snowdonia, Anglesey, the Gower, mid Wales, Brecon, Pembrokeshire, north Wales and Monmouthshire. Packed with all manners of weird, wonderful and enlightening facts, you’ll learn as much about Wales as you do Griff. Is Griff insufficiently Welsh?
