Woods' second book was to be written about the 1977 Round Britain Yacht Race, but the book was cancelled because of light winds and calms during the race. He persuaded his publishers to allow him to change the scope of the book, and spent the summer driving 12,000 miles around Great Britain and Ireland, writing a guidebook to country restaurants, inns, and hotels. He visited over 150 establishments, and included 138 in the book; 91 establishments in England, 13 in Scotland, eight in Wales, and 26 in Ireland.Woods, 1979; p. xvi The two places in the British Isles that he did not visit were Northern Ireland, saying that he did not feel comfortable recommending any place where he was afraid to visit, and the Channel Islands due to a lack of available time.Woods, 1979; p. x Originally titled A Lover's Guide to the Country Inns of Britain and Ireland Woods realised married couples may feel alienated, and changed it to A Romantic's Guide ..., defining a "romantic" as a person " who is susceptible to charm" in addition to The Concise Oxford Dictionary definition of someone "given to romance, imagination ... visionary ... professing grandeur of picturesqueness or passion or irregular beauty to finish and proportion."Woods, 1979; p. ix
