In the path of pilgrims

Yvonne McNeil is the first to admit she hates walking.

However, the owner of Masterton's Food for Thought cafe has just walked 800kms across the Pyrenees and loved it - so much in fact, she would do it again.

For more than 1000 years, pilgrims have been making their way from the south west of France to Santiago de Compostela in north west Spain. According to legend, this is the resting place of the remains of the Apostle Saint James.

When a friend asked if she had ever thought of walking El Camino de Santiago she admits her initial response was "you must be joking!"

"The thought of an 800km walk, which included crossing the Pyrenees Mountains, conjured up pictures of blisters and physical exhaustion - plus I don't like walking, I loathe it."

When friends Steve Kimberley, vicar of St Matthew's Parish Church, and his wife Leonie decided they would also do it, Yvonne began training.

"I had about two months training prior to leaving, I'm fortunate I am blessed with good health. I didn't walk if it rained - that's no fun, and I didn't join a gym. What I did was get up early and, layered in thermals with my back pack on, I would walk the streets of Masterton. In the weekends the lure of hot chocolate at Devine Cafe in Clareville helped me increase my walks to 28kms.

"Sometimes this distance would get stretched to about 32kms if Steve and Leonie were walking with me. They were much faster walkers and we would end up at Wild Oats for lunch before heading back."

Yvonne says her reason for tackling the walk was to have time to reflect on her life.

"I did it because I wanted time out, a physical challenge and I wanted to give thanks for my life - my health.

"It also gave me an opportunity to show my support for Alzheimers Wairarapa. We asked people if they would donate the cost of a cup of coffee to them as a "Cuppa for a Cause" donation, and we got a lot of support."

Sticking to the main route, Yvonne says she refused to turn the walk into a race and went at her own pace.

"It takes a while to get into, I allowed 35 days but walked it in 31 days. You can't really get lost as there are yellow arrows painted on the ground at various points to follow.

"I had one change of clothes with me - a pair of shorts and t-shirts, and for towels I had chux cloths which worked really well because you can't carry too much weight."

Staying in albergues - basic hostel accommodation - most of the time, Yvonne says she met some lovely people.

"Everyone looks out for each other and no one cares what you do. People may ask "where do you come from?" that type of thing but that's all, and friendships are soon formed. More and more people are doing the walk and it's a truly meaningful experience."

After reaching Santiago de Compostella, Yvonne took her Camino Credencial - a book that is stamped at each stage of the walk - to the Pilgrims Office were she received her Compostela Completion Certificate.

"As I'd walked in I felt I would feel excited but I actually felt quite flat, quite empty. So that night I went to pilgrims' mass and the next day got up and decided to walk on to Finisterre on the coast, once regarded as the End of the World.

"Those four days were my best days, getting to the End of the World meant more.

"Near the historic lighthousethere is a final yellow scallop-shelled marker reading "0.00Km" and that's where I placed my final Wairarapa Alzheimers forget-me-not posy."