The Walks That Changed My Life - Two Journeys of Healing, Laughter, & Rediscovery on the Camino & in the Cotswolds 

Meet Anne Pedersen, a spirited storyteller, lifelong learner, and adventurer who’s proving that it’s never too late to chase a dream. After the heartbreaking loss of her son and a long career, Anne found healing, purpose, and unexpected joy walking the ancient Camino de Santiago at age 70. What began as a pilgrimage to honour her son became a journey of transformation, international friendships, and soul-deep revelations.  

In this heartfelt and often humorous reflection, Anne shares how her two Macs trips - The Best of the Camino and The Cotswolds in Comfort - helped her rediscover life, love, and the power of simply putting one foot in front of the other. 

The Best of the Camino 

I’d dreamed about the Camino de Santiago for over ten years. The idea was planted in my mind in 2010 when I first saw the movie The Way. There was something so compelling about that 500-mile pilgrimage across northern Spain-something both physical and spiritual. Then, in 2013, I experienced the devastating loss of my son. The memory of the film came back to me, and I wondered: could I, like Tom in the movie, commemorate my son’s life by walking the Camino? 

But I was 70 years old. The first day of the walk meant climbing over a mountain. Could I really do it? Did I have what it would take? 

When a colleague asked me if I’d consider joining her on the Camino, I said yes. It was September 2022, and we began planning to start the journey in May 2023. We decided on a shortened version of the Camino arranged by Macs Adventure - a two-week trip with luggage transfers and accommodations. It felt like the right balance for us, first-time pilgrims.

A Journey Begins 

The adventure exceeded every hope I had. With enough preparation, I completed the walk. Along the way, I met people from around the world, sharing the same path, the same goal, the same daily joys and aches. And I found something even more precious - healing from the regret I still carried after losing my son. 

The experience was so transformative, I wrote a book about it under my pen name, Lele Beutel, titled: The Camino Connection: Connecting with Life and Commemorating a Death while Walking on the Camino de Santiago. It became a best-seller on Amazon. In it, I wrote: 

“Three days before we left, I reflected on my transition into retirement and how I needed to smoothly move this year from a busy work-a-day schedule to one that was completely self-determined... I wanted to spend my remaining years wisely and productively and feel like my life still mattered.” 

In Brian Simmons’ Courage to Conquer, I read something that perfectly expressed what I was feeling: 

“Is there a transition that you are making? Do you want to move on mindfully, not just rushing ahead to the next thing?... Let the Spirit of God lead you to the treasure of his wisdom... and share it with those it will encourage.” 

I underlined those words and wrote in the margin: “This is what I want to accomplish while walking on the Camino de Santiago.” 

The Shell 

Three days before leaving, while walking my dog around a lake near my house, I spotted something half-buried beside the sidewalk. It was a painted shell-blue with yellow designs, like the Camino markers in Spain. On the back, someone had written Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 

When I looked up the verse in The Amplified Bible, it said: 

“I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me.” 

That shell felt like a divine message. It felt like confirmation. I carried it with me to Spain. 

Walking the Way 

We began in St. Jean Pied-de-Port, France, and walked to Logroño, Spain. From there, Macs transported us to Sarria, where we resumed our trek to Santiago de Compostela. I walked every step-roughly 125 miles-while my friend, dealing with hip and knee pain, sometimes took taxis, and we met at the end of each day. 

I recorded this in my book: 

“I found that place while walking a dirt-covered trail between rows of red poppies and grapevines... I felt rain on my face and wind at my back... I climbed up and down and over rock-covered hills... I engaged with women and men from England, Canada, Taiwan, New Zealand, Sweden, Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, Ireland, Germany, Wales, Brazil, Holland and beyond... I tasted fried squid, fresh-baked bread, local cheeses... And I often wondered how many pilgrims had passed this way.” 

But more than the sights or sounds, it was the people I met who helped me heal. 

“The Camino taught me that life is never what you thought it would be, so you make something special out of what you are given.” 

I still keep that shell. And I still draw strength from Philippians 4:13. 

Did the Camino help me lay down the regrets and transition to a new season of life? Absolutely. 

If you’d like to read Anne’s (aka Lele Beutel) full Camino story, you can find it here. 

The Cotswolds in Comfort 

My second Macs Adventure was inspired by the first. This time, it was May 2024, and I was joined by my husband on the Cotswolds in Comfort itinerary. It has inspired another book called Lessons from the Cotswolds: Two Old Fogies Dodge Disasters and Overcome Obstacles While Walking Through the Cotswolds. 

After returning home from the Camino, exhausted but elated, I wanted to share a similar experience with Mike. He couldn’t join me in Spain due to his leg surgeries, but I believed we could still have an adventure-just a gentler one. 

I searched for something manageable for us at our ages-Mike at 81, me at 72. I found Macs offered Slower Adventures and read about “Cotswolds in Comfort”. The daily distances of six to nine miles seemed doable. We prepared by gradually increasing our walking distances. 

Off to a Muddy Start 

The first day greeted us with pouring rain and thick mud. I fell forward into the muck, completely covered, and Mike injured his leg trying to steady himself. It wasn’t the start we’d imagined. But despite the setbacks, we found joy in the journey. 

On our favourite day between Guiting Power and Winchcombe, I wrote: 

“We found ourselves on a paved path with a lovely view of rolling pastures... we turned to see our Swiss friends coming toward us! We hailed each other like old friends well met... we passed a man rebuilding a stone wall... and a pasture full of sheep, who posed for us in a perfectly assembled quartet.” 

In Chipping Campden, we explored behind St. James Church: 

“From the graveyard, we looked out at spectacular views of pastures... we walked through a field as far as we could to catch breathtaking views of the building and the church.” 

Reflections and Gratitude 

As the trip neared its end, we reflected on everything we’d seen and learned: 

“We reminisced about all the wonderful friends we’d met... the kindnesses we’d experienced... the lessons we’d learned... and how God always seemed to work out even the bad things into something marvellous and good.” 

Our experience in the Cotswolds wasn't perfect. But it was meaningful. We walked, we laughed, we hobbled, and we connected in new ways. 

“Mostly, we talked about how important it is to keep an attitude of gratitude, even when things go wrong or not as you hoped they would.” 

A Life Transformed 

Two journeys. One alone, one with my husband. Both changed my life. 

Through blisters and blessings, through grief and laughter, through rain-soaked trails and vineyard-lined paths- I found healing, joy, and deeper purpose. 

And I learned this: you’re never too old to walk into something new. 

If you’d like to read more of Anne's (aka Lele Beutel) adventures - and misadventures - in the Cotswolds, you can find her book here.