Why am I passionate about this?

I am a passionate long-distance hiker and regularly enjoy local walks close to where I live in Oxfordshire. Over the years, I have walked many long-distance trails, including Camino Pilgrimages. The books I am sharing are those that have inspired my own walking adventures and self-reflection. I am a big believer in the benefits of walking for mind, body, and spirit, and I personally enjoy those benefits daily. My passion for walking and the depth of thinking it can help you attain has found its way into both my personal and business life. Walking to me is life!


I wrote...

Transform Your Life by Walking: Powerful Messages Walking Camino Pilgrimages

By Jackie Jarvis,

Book cover of Transform Your Life by Walking: Powerful Messages Walking Camino Pilgrimages

What is my book about?

Are you dreaming about walking a Camino Pilgrimage? Are you tentatively considering a long-distance hiking or walking adventure? Want some…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Jackie Jarvis Why did I love this book?

I loved this book because I could relate to the tough, emotional place the author was in when she made this epic journey. Her rucksack was extremely heavy. It felt like it represented the burden she was carrying at the time. I loved the unfolding of both her physical and emotional journey, how much she learned about herself, and how much she was eventually able to let go of to enable her to move forward.

Reading this book motivated me to go on a similar journey, hiking many of the Camino Pilgrimage routes. This was a book I thought about long after I had finished reading it. It had the kind of truth about it that stays with you. 

By Cheryl Strayed,

Why should I read it?

31 authors picked Wild as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A powerful, blazingly honest memoir: the story of an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe—and built her back up again.

At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother’s death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life. With no experience or training, driven only by blind will, she would hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from the…


Book cover of The Salt Path: A Memoir

Jackie Jarvis Why did I love this book?

I loved this book because it is a very engaging true story, one that I have huge admiration for. To literally just walk the South-West Coast Path when you have been made homeless and one partner has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. I found their story inspiring. When they walked, they had nothing, but by the time they finished, in many ways, they had everything. 

I was amazed at how brilliantly observant the author was in her descriptions of nature, the scenery, people, and even the weather. This book certainly inspired me to walk sections of the South-West Coast Path, and when I did, I often thought about Raynor and Moth and wondered how they managed it. I loved how their love for each other kept them moving forward together and enabled them to deal with considerable hardship. It’s a great book.  

By Raynor Winn,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked The Salt Path as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Polished, poignant... an inspiring story of true love."-Entertainment Weekly

A BEST BOOK OF 2019, NPR's Book Concierge
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BOOK AWARD
OVER 400,000 COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE

The true story of a couple who lost everything and embarked on a transformative journey walking the South West Coast Path in England

Just days after Raynor Winn learns that Moth, her husband of thirty-two years, is terminally ill, their house and farm are taken away, along with their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South…


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Book cover of Loveland

Loveland by Susan Ostrov,

What happens when a feminist who studies romance turns the lens on her own romantic adventures?

Loveland is about how the author came to understand this journey to the far country of love—dating, marriage, a forbidden love affair, an unusual love affair as an older woman—as part of a larger…

Book cover of The Pilgrimage: A Contemporary Quest for Ancient Wisdom

Jackie Jarvis Why did I love this book?

I loved this book because it was very thought-provoking and gave me some great personal insights. At the time of reading, I was planning to walk the Camino de Santiago for the first time and was really interested in reading about others who had gone before. I enjoyed following this complete journey and sharing the thoughts, wisdom, and lessons that came up. 

Self-knowledge is a powerful thing, and I wondered about my own Camino trip and what kind of experience I might have had. This book certainly motivated me to start planning my own Pilgrimage. It is a book that you remember years after reading. It goes deep.

By Paulo Coelho, Julia Sanches (translator),

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Pilgrimage as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this gripping story, Paulo Coelho is on a quest for the ultimate in self-knowledge, wisdom and spiritual mastery.

Guided by his mysterious companion Petrus, he takes the road to Santiago, going through a series of trials and tests along the way, even coming face to face with someone who may just be the devil himself. Why is the road to the simple life so hard? Will Paulo be strong enough to complete the journey towards humility, belief and faith?

The Pilgrimage paved the way to Paulo Coehlo's international best-selling novel The Alchemist. In many ways, these two volumes are…


Book cover of Tracks: A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback

Jackie Jarvis Why did I love this book?

I loved this book because it was as much about the author's inner journey as it was the outer one. I loved both aspects of this book.

I love books that give you almost a window into the soul of the writer. Robyn shares her thoughts and experience so well as she makes her way solo 2,000 miles in the Australian Outback. I loved her bravery. This was an epic trip. As one of the first adventure books I had read, it got me hooked. This was a book that made an impact. 

By Robyn Davidson,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Tracks as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A revised, reissued fortieth anniversary edition of this prize-winning, bestselling account of one woman's solo journey across 1,700 miles of Australian Outback 'I experienced that sinking feeling you get when you know you have conned yourself into doing something difficult and there's no going back.' So begins Robyn Davidson's perilous journey across 1,700 miles of hostile Australian desert to the sea with only four camels and a dog for company. Enduring sweltering heat, fending off poisonous snakes and lecherous men, chasing her camels when they get skittish and nursing them when they are injured, Davidson emerges as an extraordinarily courageous…


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Book cover of Norvel: An American Hero

Norvel by Kenneth F. Conklin,

NORVEL: An American Hero chronicles the remarkable life of Norvel Lee, a civil rights pioneer and Olympic athlete who challenged segregation in 1948 Virginia. Born in the Blue Ridge Mountains to working-class parents who valued education, Lee overcame Jim Crow laws and a speech impediment to achieve extraordinary success.

He…

Book cover of A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino De Santiago: Camino Frances St. Jean Pied De Port - Santiago

Jackie Jarvis Why did I love this book?

I loved this book because it was not only my first ever Camino guidebook but also an ideal support for my first Camino. I often buy a guidebook to help both inspire and plan my walking adventures. I love the style–the daily stages, accommodation information, and the author's own spiritual insights.

It was a great resource to have. The right size, easy to read daily, and carry in your pack without adding too much weight. This book inspired me to start walking Camino’s, and wherever I could, I got the relevant John Brierley Guide. 

By John Brierley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino De Santiago as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2024 edition

Now updated to include newer maps and photos, this comprehensive guidebook to the Camino de Santiago and its offshoots contains all the information needed by modern-day pilgrims wishing to walk the sacred Way of St. James. Overview route planners plus daily stage maps and detailed town plans help sojourners with all the advance preparation they need. The maps feature contour guides to help distinguish the terrain that will be crossed each day, while full information on all pilgrim hostels, as well as details for alternative accommodation, allow travelers to plot adequate nightly stopping points. All reference information is…


Explore my book 😀

Transform Your Life by Walking: Powerful Messages Walking Camino Pilgrimages

By Jackie Jarvis,

Book cover of Transform Your Life by Walking: Powerful Messages Walking Camino Pilgrimages

What is my book about?

Are you dreaming about walking a Camino Pilgrimage? Are you tentatively considering a long-distance hiking or walking adventure? Want some inspiration? This is an opportunity to share one woman’s inspiring thoughts as she walks six of the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes solo. Find out how walking can be both healing and life-affirming. The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other wherever you find yourself in life lifts your spirits, builds your confidence, and helps you find the peace you need.

This book can give you lots to think about if you are considering a long-distance walking adventure or simply want to do more walking for fitness and well-being from your front door. 

Book cover of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Book cover of The Salt Path: A Memoir
Book cover of The Pilgrimage: A Contemporary Quest for Ancient Wisdom

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