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Pilgrims have always walked in times of upheaval, pitching themselves against weather, hunger, thirst and sometimes pain as they tread the paths their ancestors followed before them.
In The Gathering Place, author, nature campaigner and veteran solo walker Mary Colwell undertakes a 500-mile pilgrimage along the Camino Francés in northern Spain at a unique moment in history – a time of pandemic, profound political change, and a climate and biodiversity emergency.
In a typical year, more than 300,000 people walk this route or part of it, but in between lockdowns in 2020, Mary was virtually alone. The modern world weaves in and out of the Camino's worn trackway, providing a focus for contemplation and a place where memories and experiences can gather. There are times of intense spirituality, meetings with a demon slayer, strange goings-on and magical tales, and the constant backdrop of nature with all its complexity and wonder.
In this delightful book, Mary's winter pilgrimage weaves a personal tale with a walk that millions have undertaken over the centuries. The Gathering Place is a beautiful, thoughtful and, at times, humorous journey of both body and soul.
Prologue
Chapter 1 - Wooden Staffs and Mountains
Chapter 2 - Moors and Myths
Chapter 3 - Witches and Forests
Chapter 4 - To The Stars
Chapter 5 - The Kindness of Strangers
Chapter 6 - Wine and Wonder
Chapter 7 - War and Peace
Chapter 8 - The Unravelling Road
Chapter 9 - Stones and Snow
Chapter 10 - Ultreïa
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
References and Further Reading
Index
Mary Colwell is an author, producer and campaigner for nature. She has written for The Guardian, BBC Wildlife, The Tablet, Country Life and many other publications. She has made TV and radio documentaries for the BBC Natural History Unit and has published three books: John Muir: The Scotsman Who Saved America's Wild Places, Curlew Moon and Beak, Tooth & Claw. Mary has won a Sony Radio Academy Gold Award, the David Bellamy Award for her conservation work on curlews, the WWT Marsh Award for Conservation, the BTO Dilys Breese Medal for outstanding science communication and, in 2022, she was awarded the prestigious RSPB Medal. In 2020, she set up the charity Curlew Action. Mary also spearheaded the successful campaign to introduce a GCSE in Natural History in England from 2025.
– Shortlisted for The Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year 2024
"A compelling storyteller, Colwell's 500-mile pilgrimage is rich with memories, myths and associations from the past. In this deeply poetic journey into an inner and an outer landscape, the natural world is often her only companion, powerfully evoked and brilliantly observed."
– Caroline Lucas MP
"The Gathering Place is a beautiful thing: like a warm crystal, full of light, reflecting and refracting and celebrating everything both inside and outside the book."
– Charles Foster, author of Being a Human
"In The Gathering Place, Mary Colwell is a candle of open-minded curiosity, which reminds us that while clear answers are hard to come by, we should never stop asking questions."
– Patrick Laurie, author of Native
"The Gathering Place is sheer literary alchemy; Colwell's words are mica-spangled and penetrating."
– Hannah Brooks, @anotherbloodybook, Instagram
"An unforgettable story of heroes and villains, kindness and horror, holiness and wickedness, miracles, bizarre legends, lost souls, and eventually, solace in a troubled world. Not to be missed."
– Michael McCarthy, author of The Moth Snowstorm
"A rich tapestry full of myth, wisdom and humility, accompanied always by evocative musings on the natural world, enveloped in hope and sprinkled with humour."
– Tiffany Francis-Baker, Resurgence
"Mary Colwell brings an inspiring sense of openness, courage, humility and loving curiosity to her daily encounters with the natural and human worlds."
– Jeremy Mynott, author of The Consolation of Nature
"A masterpiece of storytelling on a journey that will move hearts and minds alike."
– Nick Mayhew-Smith, author of Britain's Pilgrim Places
"Beautifully written."
– Kate Green, Country Life
"The Gathering Place is much more than a travel book down a well-trodden path. It is a brutally honest examination of why we are as we are, and just how important the cultural landmarks of our lives have become in a world of anxiety and change. Brave, tough and surprisingly funny, this is a witness statement from one of the UK's great campaigners."
– Roger Morgan-Grenville, author of Liquid Gold
"Amazing."
– Tim Birkhead, author of Birds and Us
"An enjoyable account of a popular pilgrimage in unusual circumstances."
– Philip Welsh, Church Times
