Geographical researches

[regshoe]

Some unexpectedly fine weather here today! The hawthorns and weeping-willows are beginning to come into leaf, it almost felt warm in the sunshine and there were several buzzards doing some impressive circling and swooping flights high above the river earlier today. Unfortunately, my walking plans for the day were scuppered by flooding further downstream after the less good weather earlier in the week, so instead I went into town and bought some maps. I've since spent a very pleasant and worthwhile afternoon reading more stuff about Jacobites and going over the OS map of the Loch Lochy area plotting out the routes taken by the characters in the first couple of chapters of The Flight of the Heron. It was a fun detective exercise working out Keith's movements along the loch, to and from High Bridge and back along to where he and Ewen first meet, and I now have a much better idea of exactly where Ardroy is.

Here's where I think it is. The narrow pass in the southeast here, which leads up from the side of Loch Lochy, is where Ewen brings Keith after taking him captive. When they get to the top of the pass they head westwards, 'in the face of the sunset afterglow', and Ardroy is in front of them. So I think that Loch na h-Iolaire—which is 'little more than a mile long, and... a quarter of a mile wide', and is 'set in a level space as wide as itself'—runs roughly north-south between Meall an Tagraidh and Sròn a Choire Ghairbh, where it would fit quite neatly into the relatively flat area, with the house of Ardroy at its southern end (or perhaps in the southwestern corner, since they 'skirt the end of the little lake' to get there after descending the pass). It could be an extension of the real but much smaller Lochan Fhùdair. Ewen apologises for the steepness of the route and says he wouldn't normally come that way—it looks as though there's an easier route up from Achnacarry along Gleann Cia-aig, so perhaps that's the way Ewen would usually go.

And I see that this more or less agrees with the map in the first edition and the conclusions you've drawn from it, luzula, which is good! The only thing I'm slightly hesitating over is whether it would be possible to see Ben Tee, which Broster says it is, with other equally high hills in the way. I shall have to go there and check.

I'm sure I'll do this for the rest of the book too eventually. I do also have a map of the Mallaig-Morar-Arisaig bit of coastline, which will be very useful for adding a bit of geography to my current WIP as well as upsetting myself by plotting out the last chapter... :D

Comments

[regshoe]

Yeah—when I'm writing about somewhere I don't know well I feel like the important thing is to get the sense of connection between character and place. So if I know my character feels a particular way about this place, I might think of another place that I feel the same way about and base the tone of the description on that, and those sorts of feelings and relationships can be universal in a way. But there is also getting the little details right!

Ooh, that map is very cool. I like all the decorative figures of people and animals, and 'Australia Incognita'!

I will happily exchange weather with you! *pushes winter in your direction*

[theseatheseatheopensea]

Ooh, absolutely, writing about the connection between characters and places is one of my favourite things ever, and it definitely helps to use my own feelings for it. And getting the little details right is like icing on the cake, because it lets you add so much depth and meaning. Sometimes I don't even use the research directly in the story, but it always bleeds into the feel of it, if that makes sense?

And yes I love that map, it's super old by now, so it's kind of faded, but I love it too much to get rid of it!

I will happily exchange weather with you! *pushes winter in your direction*

Are you sure? *attempts to push 30 degree weather yor way*

:D

[regshoe]

Sometimes I don't even use the research directly in the story, but it always bleeds into the feel of it, if that makes sense?

Yes, definitely! It is, as you say, about getting the feel right, both with the details you end up using and those you don't.

Well, for now I'm very much looking forward to the summer, although I may feel differently if we have a proper heatwave later in the year :P