"Galles noires"

Name of traveller

Alexis Gloaguen (b. 1950)

Reason for travel

  • leisurely travel, holidaying

Date of travel

April 1978

Blaenau Ffestiniog est une ville négative, froide et noire, une tache sur un tronc de bouleau . . .. (Gloaguen 16)

Content

  • agriculture: observes sheep farming in north Wales during lambing season
  • industry:
    • references to slate industry in north Wales
    • impact of slate industry on the precarious surrounding landscape
  • people:
    • character study of a young woman who picks him up hitchhiking
    • contrasts the descriptions of the coarseness of dock workers with general kindness and hospitality
    • character study of a forester on the way to Staylittle
  • terrain:
    • some romanticised descriptions of rural landscapes
    • greatly interested in birds; many observations of birds in their natural environment
    • visits an unidentified valley drowned by a barrage lake, possibly Clywedog
    • detailed descriptions of forest in north Wales during springtime
    • description of the coastal landscape and birdlife in the vicinity of South Stack, Holyhead
    • sight of cormorants and choughs on Craig yr Aderyn
  • transport: travels as hitchhiker

Nationality of traveller

French

Language of publication

French

Gender of traveller

Male

Type of publication

essay; travelogue

Citation

Gloaguen, Alexis. "Galles noires." Traques Passagères. Quimper: Calligrammes, 1989. 13-8. Print.