Walking with purpose – Eight solo women's pilgrimage hiking and wellbeing experiences on the via Francigena

There is little research on women who undertake solo pilgrimage walking. This study examined the experiences of women who undertake solo pilgrimage walking, and to consider its impact on their wellbeing. Interviews were conducted with eight solo female walkers who had walked between 200 and 1662 km on the via Francigena pilgrimage route. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore the data and draw tentative conclusions. The study finds that the walkers were seeking solitude, seeking adventure, seeking connection to others, and seeking connection to themselves. The study concludes that solo pilgrimage walking improved participants’ sense of wellbeing by building identity and resilience, and that the search for community was an important part of solo pilgrimage walking experience. The study highlights that and that solo pilgrimage walking can be seen as a source of wellbeing as it appears to be a means to release tension, process grief and engage in physical movement that creates a meditative and reflective state.