The Gathering Place is a poetic tale of Mary Colwell’s 500-mile solo pilgrimage along the Camino Francés, a route through forests, mountains and places of worship in northern Spain. This nature campaigner joins the millions of people who have taken this route over the past few hundred years.
But this pilgrim took the route between lockdowns in 2020, and was virtually alone. Giving her time to focus against the backdrop of nature – but not without its dramas – she even meets a demon slayer!
In some ways, it was a strange decision to walk alone across northern Spain. But then pilgrims have always taken to the road in times of turmoil, and there is nothing this ancient trackway hasn’t seen before.
Walking a sacred trail is one way to hitch an anxious soul to the countless millions of others who have tried to make sense of chaos, to understand more about being human on a challenging planet.
About the Author
Mary Colman is an environmentalist who has campaigned to have Natural History on the school curriculum. She studied earth sciences and physics, and co-founded the charity Curlew Action.
