I’m a British writer of fiction and non-fiction whose work explores movement, resilience, environmental change, and the unexpected ways people reshape their lives. My published writing includes two 1,600-kilometre horseback pilgrimage accounts along the St James Way and the Via Francigena, as well as short fiction in Mslexia, Panorama, Steel Jackdaw, African Voices, Ariel Chart, After Dinner Conversation, and other journals.
I co-manage the LightFoot Guides series, which celebrates slow travel on ancient paths through a blend of history, culture and personal narrative.
Alongside my writing, I’ve become what I call a late-blooming, climate activist: a modern-day Canute who knows she can’t stop the rising tide but is determined to slow it, soothe it, and help others do the same.
My environmental epiphany arrived at sixty during a three-year stay in Tanzania, where I managed the construction of Kivulini Maternity Centre—a 44-bed solar-powered hospital that remains fully operational and is one of the things I’m proudest of.
Now based in South Africa, I’ve launched, with my friend Terry Shakinovsky, This Way Up, a podcast that interviews people who are building South Africa from the ground up. https://thiswayuppodcast.org/
When I’m not writing or engaged in climate action, you’ll find me enjoying life with my husband, Paul, riding my mule, Matilda, or exploring South Africa’s beautiful cities and landscapes.
I also have a daughter, Lucy, who is terrifyingly competent, and multi-talented. After spending most of her life in France, she now lives in the UK and is Project Manager for Bottengoms, the historic Suffolk home of Ronald Blythe. Her work helps preserve the artistic, literary and environmental legacy of a place that has shaped generations of writers—and continues to inspire those who care for it today.