INTRODUCTION

BY IAN DAGLISH

CHESHIRE, ENGLAND

WE DRIVE WEST OUT OF A small French town. Passing under the autoroute, we follow a minor road through quiet countryside. Two kilometers on, the hedgerows grow thicker and our road crosses a bridge over a deep cutting with a two-track railway. Suddenly we are in true bocage, the lane winding between high hedgerows. A final bend and the road straightens, sloping down past the Manoir, a large farm on our left. We stop opposite the farm buildings. Ahead, a river meanders slowly, flowing under the stone road bridge. Further ahead, beyond the bridge, our road turns slightly right to follow a raised road traversing 730 meters (750 yards) of open meadows. Through this tree-lined causeway and the hedgerows on the far side of the valley, we can make out the roofs of the houses and small church of the hamlet opposite.