Pathfinding: On Walking, Motherhood and Freedom

The desire to walk is something that defines us as human beings. Walking brings not only joy and connection but freedom: the freedom to decide when and where to put one foot in front of the other; the freedom to rely solely on ourselves and our bodies. But what happens to this freedom when we become mothers? In the wake of having her own children, walker and writer Kerri Andrews determines to undertake a series of journeys on foot to explore the complex interconnections that have long existed between motherhood and walking. Along each path, she explores the stories of long-neglected historical mother-walkers, enmeshing our lives with theirs. On the eighteenth-century cliffs of Norway and Sweden we meet Mary Wollstonecraft, striding out as she contemplates the fate awaiting her infant daughter in a misogynistic society. We join Ellen Weeton in the patriarchal nineteenth-century, walking miles upon miles for a slim chance to see the daughter from whom she has been unwillingly and cruelly separated. And we walk alongside Kate Chopin and the heroines of her novels at the start of the twentieth century as they try to step into new, less restrictive, lives. There have been countless mothers since who have found solace or escape in walking, and some of them join Kerri as she traverses urban, rural and increasingly mountainous landscapes. Together, they explore the complicated ground of motherhood today – our post-partum bodies and minds, our ambition, rage and hope – crisscrossing the book with new and future paths into mother-becoming. Melding history, landscape writing and memoir, Pathfinding brings to light stories of walking and motherhood that have long been neglected or hidden away. Here are our fore-mothers who once pursued power and pleasure through their feet; here is an invitation to mothers today to claim that same liberation for ourselves.

About the Author :
Kerri Andrews is a writer, walker and academic with a PhD in women’s literature. She is the author of Pathfinding: On Walking and Motherhood; Wanderers: A History of Women Walking and the editor of Way Makers: An Anthology of Women’s Writing About Walking, as well as the first ever collection of Nan Shepherd’s letters. She lives in Scotland with her two young children, but it was in the Yorkshire Dales that she discovered the delights of walking, before falling in love first with the Lake District and then the Scottish mountains. She is a member of Mountaineering Scotland and has so far climbed over 120 of Scotland’s Munros.

Review :
‘What a bold, brave book this is. Andrews’ journeys, written with eloquence, honesty and style, have the feeling not of escape so much as encounter – with the landscapes she moves through, and with the lives of walking mothers past and present. Through these encounters, Andrews seems to find new space for herself. I had the feeling, as I read, that she might be clearing a path for us all.’ Helen Jukes, author of Mother Animal   ‘Powerful and unflinchingly honest, Andrews probes the complexities of motherhood, ultimately finding hope and salvation in companionship, landscape and all those meticulously researched women in whose footsteps she walks.’ Annabel Abbs, author of Windswept: Why Women Walk   'A compelling exploration of the creative ways in which mother-walkers have navigated matrescence. As Kerri Andrews leads the reader over hills and along the shore, she reveals how – through walking – she recovered and redefined a self subsumed by motherhood. This book left me itching to lace up my boots and follow the call of the path.' Laura Pashby, author of Chasing Fog   ‘A hugely important book, written with an honesty and a precision that is as welcome as it is rare. I was with her every step of the way.’ Matt Gaw, author of In All Weathers ‘Andrews’ lyrical nature writing leaps off nearly every page—the dark grey clouds gathering on the horizon, the geological stripes on the Scottish mountains, the dappled sunlight shining through the trees … Press this book into the hands of any mother and she will see herself on these pages, walker or not.’ LoveReading ‘Ultimately, this is a book about a love of walking – in high places of wanderlust, lowlands to allow for healing, or simply for the joy of getting outside ... If you feel like you’ve lost your way, amid the mountain narrative, Pathfinding may help you to place yourself once again.’ The Great Outdoors ‘I cried, I laughed, I reflected. It was a pleasure following along with Kerri’s journey and I was right there with her. It reinforced how incredibly grateful I am to be a mum and have adventuring in my life.’ Mountaineering Scotland  ‘A seductive book that leads us as close to the nature and people of an intriguing place as words can.’ Tristan Gooley, author of How to Read a Tree  ‘This book brings welcome com­passion for the frailties of the human body, especially one that has endured pregnancy and birth … Despite the pain and restriction, there is joy and freedom to be found in walking and parenting. Andrews has laid out an invitation that will leave you desperate to step outside.’ Resurgence & Ecologist