The Gathering Place

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents The Gathering Place written and read by Mary Colwell.

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

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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.

Critics Review

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, Member of Parliament
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, and she 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.
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
This is a masterpiece of storytelling about 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.
Church Times

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