Santiago Walk

On 20 May last year, a group of intrepid fundraisers for the trust undertook to walk the 780 pilgrimage from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela, famous for being the sacred resting place of St James in the North of Spain.

It took four weeks, and the pilgrims were joined for the last 170 km by more family members for the last week, increasing their numbers to nine. We soon found ourselves to be something of a notoriety amongst the other pilgrims who informed us of the reputation we had garnered when (unfortunately with alarming frequency) we were overtaken, with our large family group containing an 11 and 13 year old, and an Aunt Eileen who could only walk down hills (or any degree of decline) backwards.

Given our propensity for being overtaken, we could not join the other pilgrims with their siestas and relaxing afternoons, and instead had to walk almost solidly from 8am to 8pm to make our target of reaching Santiago by 15 June. Hence our pilgrim passports were checked very thoroughly in the Santiago office, they especially could not believe that Liam (our youngest walker and perhaps the youngest walker ever to complete the camino in so few days!) could have walked so far in a week! Luckily we had conscientiously collected stamps in our passports at refugios and churches along the way, and perhaps the odd bar as well.

But what gratification when we finally did arrive! A truly inspiring walk, the Trust and the messages of support from our sponsors kept us going in our toughest moments, and to you we will always be grateful! By the end of the walk, our total fundraising amounted to £11,000 a humbling show of generosity from our sponsors, who kept up their support throughout the walk both financially and in faithful correspondence to our daily blog (apologies if it sometimes reads like the Comedy of Errors!).