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The Gathering Place
A Winter Pilgrimage Through Changing Times
Brief Description
The Gathering Place, shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year 2024, has been praised as "Deeply poetic" by Caroline Lucas MP, "A masterpiece of storytelling" by Nick Mayhew-Smith, "A candle of open-minded curiosity" by Patrick Laurie, and "An unforgettable story" by Michael McCarthy....
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The Gathering Place
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Description
The Gathering Place, shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year 2024, has been praised as "Deeply poetic" by Caroline Lucas MP, "A masterpiece of storytelling" by Nick Mayhew-Smith, "A candle of open-minded curiosity" by Patrick Laurie, and "An unforgettable story" by 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 a 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, as well as her exquisite descriptions of the constant backdrop of nature in all its complexity and wonder.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781399400565
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 12 September 2024
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Bloomsbury Wildlife
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 18.0mm
Width: 128.0mm
Height: 196.0mm
Weight: 208g
Pages: 256
About the Author
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.
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