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Damian Le Bas grew up on a diet of Gypsy history. His great-grandmother, Nan, would tell him stories of her childhood in the ancient Romani language; the places her family stopped and worked, the ways they lived, the superstitions and lores of their people. But his own experience of life on the road was limited to occasional trips to horse fairs and Ford Transit journeys from West Sussex to Hampshire to sell flowers. In a bid to better understand his Gypsy heritage, the history of the Romany in Britain and the rhythms of their life today, Damian sets out on a journey to discover the atchin tans, or 'stopping places' - the old encampment sites known only to Travellers. From winter frosts to summer dawns, he travels the country to visit horse fairs, urban lay-bys and hidden Gypsy churches. The Stopping Places shines a light on a group of people and a way of life that has been often hidden and much maligned. Travellers in Britain have rarely been given a voice, but in this remarkable debut Damian le Bas captures not just the places, characters and stories of his ancestors, but learns more about his own identity along the way.
The Stopping Places: A Journey Through Gypsy Britain | 
