.JPG)
Almost any slice of landscape in Brittany is crowded with memories of action and endurance, and almost any walk combines these two essential elements of life’s long pattern. This particular stretch of coast is a litany of monuments to the heroism of death, from a stele by the Plage du Fozo in honour of the mothers of the young American soldiers who gave their lives in WWI, to selfless rescue workers in recent times and at the other extreme, the honouring of Neolithic founding ancestors. Walking here perpetuates all these experiences and illuminates their often tragic endings. But as well as an immersion in the realms of history, the context of stark separation of ocean and shore with all their savage interactions and extreme weather conditions brings up emotional waves and flurries, an enhanced dialogue with the self, which senses the physical pressures of the struggle between sea and land, and pulls in instinctively. If water is the element of the emotions, they will be stirred today by boisterous waves bent on breaking down the staunchest defences.
Extract from ' Wayfaring in Brittany '
HERE & NOW
September 2025
Writing on Substack
8th Writing workshop in English at Poullaouen
Silent retreat in Trappist monastery
I’ve been writing about Brittany for more than twenty years, with a focus on history, legends and spirit of place. My research has taken me to every corner of the region, especially for recent works of place-writing on ancient paths and the stories connected with megalithic and natural stones. I am interested in the relationship between places and their past, including the cultural presentation of this connection, and human reactions to the particularity of place. Why do some sites generate more interest than others? How do certain stories attach to specific places? What constitutes the spiritual appeal associated with sacred space? Megalithic memorials, Druidic lore, saintly powers, pilgrimage trails and popular perception are just some of the ingredients in my exploration of the early history of Brittany through its landscape.
RECENT NOVELS
Set in a Breton village
