Best Foot Forward: A 500-Mile Walk Through Hidden France

Hilarious true story of English eccentricity, the Texan pioneering spirit & 2 women old enough to know better

“A book to inspire” Good Housekeeping Magazine

When Susie Kelly decides, at the age of 50+, on a whim, to trek alone right across France from West to East, from La Rochelle on the coast, to Lake Geneva in Switzerland, she entrusts her French farmhouse full of assorted animals to a total stranger from San Antonio, Texas. While Susie doggedly tramps 500 miles over unknown terrain, frequently lost and either too hot or too cold, Texan Jennifer Shields copes heroically with lost dogs, erratic electricity, old men hiding in bushes, and a language she cannot speak.

For each of them it is a life-changing experience. Both find their resourcefulness and ingenuity tested to the limit as, in their own ways, they explore and enjoy the culture, cuisine and people of Europe’s most fascinating country.

“There are a handful of authors who achieve that elusive trick of making you laugh out loud. For me it’s James Herriot, Bill Bryson and Susie Kelly.” French Entrée Magazine

"Susie is ... able to paint a picture with words that makes me feel like I am beside her on her journey. Perfect for the Francophile, the armchair adventurer, and the lover of good literature for this is surely literature." US Az Vine Voice

"This is one of the best travel books I have read to date. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every drop of it." US Amazon Vine Voice

"I would have never thought I could be so addicted to a book about a woman who decided to walk 500 miles through the French countryside . This book was delightful."

"This book is truly a jewel not to be missed."