Parallel Path

"Touching, thoughtful and frank — Jenn is a wonderful writer" — David Nicholls

"The best kind of walking companion" — Guardian

"Wonderful for taking on a walk yourself" — Financial Times

"Exceptionally good company. I loved it" — Mark Haddon

Burnt-out and in need of retreat, Jenn Ashworth emerged from lockdown with a compulsive need to walk — and to walk away. Armed with little more than the knowledge imparted by a two-day orienteering course and a set of maps, she embarked on the most epic of English walks: Wainwright's Coast to Coast.

Guided not just by Wainwright's writing but also by daily letters from her friend Clive — facing an epic journey of his own — Jenn's pilgrimage soon became more than just walking: a chance to reconnect and excavate, to reflect and meditate, to re-engage with the act of caring for others and for one self.

Arresting in its unbridled honesty, The Parallel Path is a moving journey through the ever-changing scenery of the North — and the internal landscape of a life in turmoil.