Photos of the festival are now available here. Three makers of UP’s in attendance (Charles Roberts, Dominic Bouge and myself) and some really good sessions
and one of the many hilltop villages in the area (Montpezat) an ideal location for the pipe / reed maker
Photos courtesy of Mike Hulme who can be seen below at a pick your own spot. Interestingly it (the dreaded weed) was growing alongside an elder bush - reedmakers heaven
Wow - Vive la France. Why has this event been keep a secret as it looks like a real fun place to be and even has a blow up a dead sheep competition. Don’t normally get this at Tionals.
Can you get there easily by public transport from UK ?
Is this some sort of super fiddle ?
Why are there only pictures of parts of instruments - plenty of pictures of players and dancers. Is it a ‘photographer thing’
Yes, that is a Three Row Chromatic Nyckelharpa by Jean Claude Condi. Here is one of mine:
and here is one of my Hardanger fiddles for comparison:
Boulegan was an interesting festival. Contrary to what you might see in the photos the emphasis was most certainly on makers rather than on players or dancers; but in France at any rate if you get someone who makes an instrument there will always be someone to play it - and several dozen more who will want to dance to its’ music. 'Tis a French thing methinks.
Pipers - nearest with red jumper around neck Jerome Beaubois, centre Alan Roberts, sorry but do not know name of the piper/whistle player so here is a closer view in case someone recognises him
And some pipes and pipers from the official photographer so that you do not have to look at the site and pictures be tempted by the pictures of other pipes and scantily clad young ladies.
Can you get there easily by public transport from UK ?
Yes - train to Paris then the railway south through the Cevenne mountains (Spectacular) to Ales. Bus to St Jean du Gard. Plenty of campsites and hotels and these later are very cheap by UK standards. There is also a lot to see in the area including a bamboo forest - lots of different varieties including some with stems the size of tress - if only it was good for reedmaking.
Other attractions include a preserved Steam railway that runs to Anduze (and the bamboo garden). Anduze has an interesting musical instrument museum although the bagpipes are mostly French
As you can see from the picture in the initial post reed cane can also be harvested in the area
