Blandford Forum Camera Club

Monday I returned from 3 weeks on the east bank of the estuary connecting Bordeaux with the Atlantic. The trip took 4 days including travel. Much of the time was spent scrambling over rocks in the twilight (with the sun coming up or going down) while carrying a backpack and tripod; you will guess there was a good reason for this apparent stupidity, there was; his name is Jonathan Critchley.
This was my third trip with Jonathan who I found from an advert long ago in 2008.

Part of the attraction is that, now I am in my dotage, (look it up) all I have to do is work out how to get a flight to somewhere in the knowledge that from that point everything will be arranged. This care extends from sleeping and food to being pointed at extraordinary things and places to photograph. And all the while in the company of a person who is as generous with his help and guidance as he is talented as a black and white photographer in his own right. Google the name to get a flavour of his work and his photographic holidays, (he calls them workshops).

This trip was to explore and photograph the traditional fishing method of the area in which large square nets are lowered into the water from platforms on stilts in the Estuary.
This method of fishing is no longer commercially viable which is not a surprise as it relies on fish swimming over the net and waiting to be pulled up out of the water to be eaten. It has apparently become a popular leisure pastime in Charente Maritime although in the time I was there I saw only one platform complete with fisherman. The French name for this interesting pastime is au carrelet. (derived from the French for square; the shape of the large nets)

The area is interesting for other reasons; the countryside is empty; no people just vineyards and fields of dead sunflower. Not sure how the miles of immaculate vines are kept immaculate; maybe the local population is nocturnal and can see in the dark although since I was out a lot in the dark I surely would have seen them (if it hadn’t been dark).

To cap it all, we stayed in a ‘Grand Design’ conversion owned by a charming Yorkshireman and his wife. He is an accomplished artist who is also a talented chef who cooked us a gourmet meal on our last evening.
The living area was open to the roof about 8 meters high with access to the bedrooms from balconies overlooking a space full of interesting, stylish, old and modern furniture with paintings and sculptures everywhere. The headboard of my luxurious king size bed was an original oil painting of stylised flowers!

I will regale you no longer, you may get bored.

If you have the chance, make Jonathan’s acquaintance. However you can’t come with me to the Pyrenees in November, it’s full.
Keith