A matter of scale...

More and more I become aware that the attractiveness of Brittany's landscape to a great many people is a matter of scale. There are no extremes here, neither of terrain nor temperature, and the degree of comfort and security that confers is a major factor in connectedness. It is often the difference between feeling oneself within a landscape rather looking at it from the outside, which inevitably carries a degree of emotional detachment. This may well be a matter of age - as we get older we start to seek peace from our surroundings, a reassurance relevant to our size and powers of endurance, rather than challenge or adventure or otherness. This is not a devaluation of experience, as our perception of significance is simply magnified in a smaller sphere. Brittany’s highest ‘mountains’, the Monts d’Arrée, reach up less than 400 metres, the most towering cliffs near Plouha barely stand 100 metres above the sea. But these bald figures are quite irrelevant to impressiveness of the scenery, which is determined by context not comparison. These are magnificent settings in which to place ourselves. So we can be ‘on top of the world’ on Mont-St-Michel-de-Brasparts or Menez Hom or ‘at the end of the earth’ at the Pointe de Corsen or the Pointe du Raz without becoming mountaineers or endurance hikers. And there we can feel our surroundings spectacular in a proportionate way to our own existence in the same world.

Snakes or vegetation?

It's important to know the difference out on the Pointe de Primel, but not so easy in the crypt of Lanmeur church.

This has been a good working day, spent on the north coast in the Finisterien Trégor, researching route and sights for my Saints Shore Way project. Nothing I haven't seen before, but what weather to enjoy it in!

A pleasant lunch-time interlude at St-Jean-du-Doigt with Tex running his little legs off on the beach once I'd finished more sombre moments in the church. The finger was not on show today.

Spring deluge

I fondly thought that finishing the Legends book would buy a little breathing space from what has been a constant intensity of work since the beginning of 2012. Not so. Preparations for the Brocéliande trip and making arrangements for a group walking holiday on Belle-Ile in the summer took up quite a time, as well as organising my book launch. Last week we miraculously escaped the terrible weather in the forest of Brocéliande, managing to be inside (e.g. the Arthurian centre at the Chateau de Comper) in the worst storms and enjoying some beautiful walks in varied landscapes.

On return I did a guided tour of Morlaix for a mixed English/French group, which was fun, and then the long awaited moment of bringing the Legends of Brittany into the light of day with a short talk and some readings. Yesterday I was supposed to be all day at the Salon des Légendes in the Monts d'Arrée, which promised to be a major event after its great beginnings last year. Unfortunately the weather was atrocious, and after sitting for nearly six hours in a wet tent, with gale force winds raging and feet reduced to blocks of ice, I gave up. It took several hours at home to thaw my bad foot properly and I wish in a way that I had not risked its condition, despite meeting up with lots of fellow writers I like very much, and even selling a few books. Now apart from a Brittany Walks event tomorrow, I must prepare Saints Shore Way information and questions for a forthcoming meeting in Cornwall with the person in charge of the British Saints Way. I intend to spend the rest of the year working on the development of the SSW here in Brittany, and also a second connected project on a long-distance circuit in the interior, from Roscoff/Morlaix down to the Monts d'Arrée and back up via the Parish Closes. In any left-over time, I'll think about a new direciton for my next book....

Trévarez and Batbox

I've been working on translations for the exhibition Batbox by Erik Samakh which opened at the Chateau de Trévarez on Saturday. First I did the information panels for the exhibition, and now there's a long discussion between the artist and an art historian to complete for the catalogue.

It's been an interesting job, and seeing the whole thing in situ at the weekend was even more so. The Batbox installation is basically a blackout of the huge stables room, with a mulched floor and the sounds of bats, transferred from the chateau itself which is inhabited by a protected colony of Greater horseshoe bats.

What was even more striking than the echoing bat calls and wing-strokes was the reaction of human beings - not to the bats, but to each other in conditions of almost total darkness. It revealed our virtually complete spatial ignorance and a deep rooted fear of moving without seeing. People were bumping into each other, putting out tentative hands to feel rather than sense a clear way ahead, far more aware of other bodily presence to be avoided than the absent presence of the bats themselves.

Here is it ... or will be

Here's the cover for the new book, which comes out on April 27th, just before the Salon des Légendes book fair at Botmeur. I'm glad it's done. Looking forward to moving on to new things...

Is there an end to legends?

I am trying to bring my work on the Legends of Brittany book to an end and start writing up pretty sharpish as the end of March deadline looms. But the very nature of legend is that one thing leads always to another version and so on. I thought - no, still think - that the thematic structure is a good one but it does lead to a lot of cross-referencing as things overlap. Also having the actual legends in a different font or style will be important so people who only want to look at stories can avoid the analysis easily. And what is the best way to illustrate a book on legends? I'm trying to stick to photos - statues, landscape features, etc. - but what to do about giants and korrigans? They just won't stay still long enough for the camera. (But here's one someone carved earlier.)

Apart from ten hours a day at the legend-face, I'm also completing a short radio script on the history of Guingamp (yes, it is where the word gingham comes from, forget India), although I sadly won't have time to record it myself. Plus I am working on the SAINTS SHORE WAY project which really needs undivided attention to put flesh on bones. (Sorry, too much dwelling on relics lately.) I've managed to plan a second project for an inland walking route on similar themes. This time the thing might really go ahead so I need to be well prepared.

Otherwise, walking is slowly getting less painful over distances. Just as well as I have a lot of it coming up. And a few bits of translation work as usual at this time of year as tourist boards and heritage sites prepare their exhibitions. All good.

New Year

Happy New Year to all - a bit belated as I've had a busy start to 2012 with guided tours and two book deadlines looming. Footprint are issuing a short version of the Brittany guide I did for them in 2009 in their Focus series this spring, so a lot of updating and re-presenting of text to get through before the end of the month. And although an end of March deadline for the Legends book seemed a long way off over Xmas leisure time, it's all getting a bit close now, and little progress has been made recently on that front. I've spent a lot of time designing new French business brochures and an English one for potential tour work this summer.

Otherwise, no resolutions, just new interests and habits. This month I've started Pilates, read a book on astronomy and begun studying abstract art. How stimulating to think about something completely different from my daily fairly predictable working world!

Still keen to work on a project for an extension of the Cornish Saints Way walking trail in Brittany. It would work very well with ferries into Roscoff providing the starting point, and a coastal walk around to Brest or down to Morlaix - two places connected by TGV, makes good practical sense. The footpath is already there in the famous GR34 coastal route and there are lots of links with the arrival places and chapels of British saints - including the cathedral at St-Pol-de-Léon (pictured above) along the way. This is a good idea that deserves support - let's wait and see ...