Book Review – March 2023
Like biodiversity, Cymraeg survives, but only just, sustained by the farming community, championed by campaigners, enabled by legislators. A language survey in 2013-2015 found only 24 percent of the population spoke Cymraeg – but that 41 percent of 3-15 year olds did. Cymraeg was threatened but unlike biodiversity, was incrementally, painfully slowly, clawing its way back.
Julie Brominicks is an environmental activist and, before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a teacher. A native of Shropshire, Brominicks attended university at Aberystwyth and spent much of her teaching career in Wales. In the years immediately before deciding to try her hand at earning her living through writing, she was part of the education team at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, North Wales.
The journey described in The Edge of Cymru took place over a 12-month period in 2012 and 2013 and was prompted by the opening of the new Wales Coast Path. By linking the northern and southern ends of the coastal path with a walk along the Welsh-English border, Brominicks took on the challenge of walking over 1,000 miles around the edge of Cymru. She admits that she put very little planning into the actual journey and simply walked for several hours each day and pitched her small tent wherever she found a suitable spot. On most weekends she would be joined by her partner, Rob, and every few days she would return by bus to her home in Machynlleth to shower, clean her clothes, renew her supplies and, when required, sign on.
Brominicks has spent the years since completing her journey researching the political, social, economic and natural history of Wales. The fruits of this research are skilfully woven into the narrative of her book and transform it into something that is much more than a simple description of walking trip. But it is Julie Brominicks’s own journey, her inner reflections, that make The Edge of Cymru such a compelling read.
Brominicks wrote this book while she was on the cusp of several major changes in her life. She was in the process of making a significant career change from being a teacher to becoming a writer, she was planning to get married to Rob and she was questioning her national identity as the resident of a small country in a globally-connected world. Having been born in England, Brominicks now identifies as Welsh, has been learning Cymraeg for some time and is a supporter of Welsh independence. One of the questions underlying her journey was, having embraced Cymru, was Cymru ready to embrace her?
She tries to converse in Cymraeg with some of the people she meets. Discouragingly, many respond in English. Others though are patient and courteous, seemingly pleased at her efforts to learn their native tongue.
Suddenly I understood that Cymreig rural society was shy. That people were unwilling to speak out of turn, were unhurried and thoughtful in a way I appreciated.
Quite rightly, Brominicks uses the Cymraeg names for all the places she journeys through. As a Cymraeg learner myself I’m fine with this, but perhaps a small place-name glossary would help people who speak English and other languages to orientate themselves as they follow her journey. On the subject of orientation, it would also have been helpful if the publisher had provided an index.
On the evidence of The Edge of Cymru, Brominicks is a writer driven by passion. She laments the loss of habitat and biodiversity that affects Cymru as much as everywhere else. She mourns the decline of of rural communities and the social problems this brings. But her prose comes to life when she describes the landscape of Cymru; her writing is frequently lyrical and sometimes extremely moving.
Light shone through kelp that lifted and fell with the swell. I didn’t know how to appreciate it. The red translucent kelp made me want to cry. It was all so beautiful.
Julie Brominicks
Julie Brominicks was an educator at the Centre for Alternative Technology near Machynlleth. Now a writer, her locational nature features and environmental articles are regularly published in BBC Countryfile Magazine. She lives off grid, in a caravan, in a secluded valley near Machynlleth. She is a longstanding walker, mostly around Europe. She blogs regularly at juliebrominicks.wordpress.com
Oh this sounds marvellous, thank you for highlighting it. I’ve recommended Richard King’s Brittle with Relics to you already, haven’t I?
Thanks Liz. I definitely plan to read Brittle with Relics very soon!