In 2016 I set off from home travelling south, walking through my home area of south-east Wales and down through the west country of England. I then took a ferry to Brittany in northern France. There I walked for two weeks on an ancient pilgrimage route called the Tro Breiz. This tour of Brittany is a circular route around the ancient cathedrals of that area of France, all of which trace their history to the early centuries known as the Age of the Saints. What was especially interesting to me was learning about the many connections between Brittany, Wales and the south-west of England and the culture and history that they share.
Walking through the south-west of England took me to Crediton in Devon, the birthplace of St Boniface the patron saint of Germany and the Netherlands Having arrived in Brittany, I was able to visit many lovely churches just as I had when in Wales and England. Many had small prayer chapels such as here in the village of Santec near Roscoff I walked three sections of the Tro Breiz pilgrimage route around Brittany. This connects the ancient cathedral cities of the region Each of the cathedral cities of Brittany traces its history to the founder saints of this area. All of these men are also associated with Wales and England I’m not the only one on a pilgrimage! My route in Brittany crossed the long-distance path from the English Channel to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain It’s not just about the past but also about the future. Here a poster about the new diocesan centre planned for the city of St Brieuc. This was completed in 2017