Wayfarer is part memoir, part travel narrative, part nature book, which begins while Phoebe Smith was sent on assignment to walk the most famous pilgrimage in the world – the Camino de Santiago, in northern Spain – and somehow lost her way. Where most people ended with a sense of joy an achievement, Phoebe was left empty and doubting herself. She quit her dream job, ended a 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 by following these old ways, Phoebe ended up confronting past traumas that she thought she had laid to rest. From losing her mother as a teenager to surviving toxic relationships, she bring readers on her journey to show how nature and place can heal past wounds and offer hope.
A writer, broadcaster, podcaster and adventurer, there may be some surprises revealed in this Walking Writers’ Salon with our guest Phoebe Smith. We asked her to offer some advice to new writers, and she wrote: “Write about what you know, what you’re passionate about and tell the story that burns inside you. Walk the paths you cannot help but tread. Feel the fear and do it anyway.”
For her, writing in her notebook is a shield “that helps her feel as though she is untouchable – instantly removing herself from the scene”. We will make sure she can’t reach for her notebook during the Salon!
Walking Writers Salons are hour-long events in which you will get to meet a Walking Writer and learn from them how they weave writing and walking, and how they interpret their surroundings. Each Salon will include a discussion with the author, inviting questions from the audience, and may include a multiple choice quiz in which a winner will receive a prize.
Missed a previous Salon? Check out our video archive of past Salon events.
Featured image: Photo by Akinimaginable on Unsplash
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Wayfarer – Love, loss and life on Britain’s ancient paths.
Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year 2025 A Financial Times best summer travel book of 2024 Travel Book of the Year at the Inspire Global Media Awards ‘A powerfully delicate book of love, loss and discovery, along paths of emotional understanding and physical wonder.’ Raynor Winn On an assignment to walk the most famous
Wayfaring with a Wandering Woman – Walking Writers’ Salon with Phoebe Smith
Wayfarer is part memoir, part travel narrative, part nature book, which begins while Phoebe Smith was sent on assignment to walk the most famous pilgrimage in the world – the Camino de Santiago, in northern Spain – and somehow lost her way. Where most people ended with a sense of joy an achievement, Phoebe was left empty and
