The Gathering Place
A Winter Pilgrimage Through Changing Times
1st Edition
Published on 13. April 2023
272 pages
978-1-3994-0055-8 (ISBN)
Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE EDWARD STANFORD TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024
'Deeply poetic.' CAROLINE LUCAS MP
'A masterpiece of storytelling.' NICK MAYHEW-SMITH
'Mary Colwell is a candle of open-minded curiosity.' PATRICK LAURIE
'An unforgettable story.' MICHAEL MCCARTHY
-
Mary Colwell makes a solo pilgrimage along the Camino Francés winding through forests, mountains, farmland, industrial sprawls and places of worship.
Pilgrims have always walked in times of upheaval, pitching themselves against weather, hunger, thirst and sometimes pain as they tread the paths their ancestors once followed. In the winter of 2020, author, nature campaigner and veteran solo walker Mary Colwell walked a 500-mile pilgrimage along the Camino Francés in northern Spain.
In a typical year, many thousands of people walk this route, but Mary had it virtually to herself at a unique historical moment - a time of profound political change, escalating climate and biodiversity emergencies and global pandemic.
The modern world weaves in and out of the Camino's worn trackway, providing a focus for contemplation and a place for memories and experiences to gather. In her delightful book, Mary weaves experiences from her solo winter pilgrimage with stories from a walk millions have undertaken over the centuries. Her thoughtful and, at times, humorous journey of body and soul includes moments of intense spirituality, meetings with a demon slayer, strange goings-on and magical tales, and Mary's exquisite descriptions of the constant backdrop of nature in all its complexity and wonder.
'Deeply poetic.' CAROLINE LUCAS MP
'A masterpiece of storytelling.' NICK MAYHEW-SMITH
'Mary Colwell is a candle of open-minded curiosity.' PATRICK LAURIE
'An unforgettable story.' MICHAEL MCCARTHY
-
Mary Colwell makes a solo pilgrimage along the Camino Francés winding through forests, mountains, farmland, industrial sprawls and places of worship.
Pilgrims have always walked in times of upheaval, pitching themselves against weather, hunger, thirst and sometimes pain as they tread the paths their ancestors once followed. In the winter of 2020, author, nature campaigner and veteran solo walker Mary Colwell walked a 500-mile pilgrimage along the Camino Francés in northern Spain.
In a typical year, many thousands of people walk this route, but Mary had it virtually to herself at a unique historical moment - a time of profound political change, escalating climate and biodiversity emergencies and global pandemic.
The modern world weaves in and out of the Camino's worn trackway, providing a focus for contemplation and a place for memories and experiences to gather. In her delightful book, Mary weaves experiences from her solo winter pilgrimage with stories from a walk millions have undertaken over the centuries. Her thoughtful and, at times, humorous journey of body and soul includes moments of intense spirituality, meetings with a demon slayer, strange goings-on and magical tales, and Mary's exquisite descriptions of the constant backdrop of nature in all its complexity and wonder.
More details
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN-13
978-1-3994-0055-8 (9781399400558)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
09/2024
Bloomsbury Wildlife
€15.50
Shipment within 10-20 days
Person
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 four books: John Muir - The Scotsman Who Saved America's Wild Places, Curlew Moon, Beak, Tooth and Claw, and The Gathering Place, which was shortlisted for the 2024 Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year.
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, the prestigious RSPB Medal and in 2024, the Zoological Society of London's Silver Medal for outstanding contributions to the understanding and appreciation of zoology. In 2020, she set up the charity Curlew Action. Mary also spearheaded the successful campaign to introduce a GCSE in England.
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, the prestigious RSPB Medal and in 2024, the Zoological Society of London's Silver Medal for outstanding contributions to the understanding and appreciation of zoology. In 2020, she set up the charity Curlew Action. Mary also spearheaded the successful campaign to introduce a GCSE in England.
Content
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
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
