The Gathering Place

A Winter Pilgrimage Through Changing Times

Mary Colwell

$39.99

Hardback

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English

Bloomsbury Wildlife
05 September 2023

Prose: non-fiction; Christian worship, rites & ceremonies; Spirituality & religious experience; The natural world, country life & pets; Walking, hiking, trekking

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.

By: Mary Colwell
Imprint: Bloomsbury Wildlife
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 135mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781399400541
ISBN 10: 1399400541
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 05 September 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

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 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 England.

Reviews for The Gathering Place: A Winter Pilgrimage Through Changing Times

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 * 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 * 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 * 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 *