Lacing boots for 500-mile trek (From Malvern Gazette)

Lacing boots for 500-mile trek

4:00pm Monday 3rd March 2008 in News By Robert Hale

TWO colleagues from technology firm Qinetiq will be lacing up their walking boots for a 500-mile trek on a centuries-old pilgrim trail.

Psychologist Richard Stockdale and software engineer Kevin Adams will walk the Camino de Santiago, which starts off at St Jean Pied de Port in south-west France and runs down into Spain to Pamplona and then west to Santiago, before finishing at Finisterre.

The two will be flying out from Stansted to Biarritz on Saturday, April 5, and hope to complete the walk in 26 days.

Richard said: "I'm a member of the Territorial Army in Kidderminster, and I do a lot of physical stuff, so it seemed a good idea to give it a go. Kevin's just finished his MSc and has a lot of leave backed up, so he decided to join me."

The walk is not just an exercise in muscle-stretching, either. The pair are using it to raise money for three good causes: Amnesty International, the Bluebell Wood Hospice, and Cancer Research UK, and any sponsorship is welcome.

They are already in training, and have already completed training walks in the rugged territory of mid-Wales.

The duo's exploits can be followed on the website www.tosantiago.co.uk and they intend to do podcasts and blogging from the route. The site already contains descriptions of what they hope to achieve and accounts of their training, plus it gives an ideal opportunity to donate to the good causes they are supporting.