Wayfarer: On trauma, healing and finding your path

A woman's tale of the transformative power of walking Britain's ancient pilgrim paths.

'Phoebe Smith is a splendid writer and an inspiring traveller' Bill Bryson

'My fingers trembled uncontrollably. With each bleep of the ringtone I held my breath.

Finally, he answered.

'Dad?' I said, in a small voice. 'I'm coming home...'

At the age of 32, on an assignment to walk the most famous pilgrimage in the world - the Camino de Santiago, in northern Spain - Phoebe Smith somehow lost her way.

Having spent a lifetime exploring unfamiliar places, she quit her dream job, ended her long-term relationship and headed home to North Wales to discover the point to... everything.

In her search for answers she found herself - quite by accident - walking some of Britain's oldest pilgrim paths. And in following these old ways, she ended up confronting past traumas that she thought she had laid to rest.

She may have been following holy trails, but this is not a book about religion. From losing her mother as a teenager to surviving toxic relationships, Phoebe offers an unflinchingly honest look at her battle with an eating disorder, depression, and the pitfalls of newfound singledom.

Skilfully weaving together Phoebe's own story with those of countless travellers past and present, Wayfarer reveals how nature can heal past wounds, offering a pathway to salvation she'd never thought existed.