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Wayfarer

Love, loss and life on Britain’s ancient paths

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About this listen

 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 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 by following these old ways, she ended up confronting past traumas that she thought she had laid to rest.

But while it follows holy trails, 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 and place can heal past wounds, offering a pathway to salvation she’d never thought existed.

©2025 Phoebe Smith (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers Europe Travel Writing & Commentary Health
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A wonderful story through the ups and downs of life. Phoebe’s narration makes it even more personal and I love her voice. I thoroughly recommend this audiobook!

Navigating the paths of life through pilgrim paths

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A brilliant insight into pilgrimage and the history of Pilgrims and a great honest and heartfelt story of the uos and downs of life from the author. I enjoyed hearing all the amazing stories of her adventures and how she has overcome many hurdles.

Honest and real

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A gripping memoir showing how ancient traditions can help with the ups and downs of the modern world

Highly personal and emotive

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I've just finished listening to Wayfarer. Wow, very brave of Smith to be so raw and brutally honest about her feelings and heartbreaking life experiences. She has clearly survived a lot as a women, and that is a true warrior! Beautifully written about the natural world she encounters and alot of research into the pilgrim paths she's taken to help heal her wounds. Clearly one of the best female travel writers around - which we need more of!

Smith takes you in her footsteps as a women battling her way through her life with each step of the pilgrim paths.

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I loved her other books and this was no different. Beautifully read by the author. A wonderful mix of history, nature and personal journey through life. Very moving in places and also sad thinking how we, often men, treat each other so badly and in a manipulative way. Also a very honest story from the author about what she did well and not so well.
100% recommended

Wayfarer

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