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‘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.