The French Way

Jo Gill had thought about walking the Camino de Santiago route for a long while, before coming to the realisation that it was now or never.

A keen trekker, Jo, 73, a retired mental health nurse, who lives on the Bury/ Bolton border, is signed up and ready to go on the ancient walk, next month, with her friend, Sherene.

Having not walked long distance since pre-Covid, Jo is both excited and a little daunted to take on the Camino de Santiago, the world’s most famous pilgrimage, which dates back more than 1,000 years.

They’ll take ‘The French Way’ route, crossing the beautiful Pyrenees mountain range, which stretches 500 miles, straddling the border of France and Spain.

Jo will set off from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in southern France, trekking across the rolling hills of northern Spain, before finishing off at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.

She said: “For me personally, I have no particular faith aspect attached to the walk, although I think a pilgrimage is more than just faith, perhaps. It’s about having plenty of time to think, it’s time for yourself where you can meet and talk to people. And as it’s a walk, it becomes a personal journey.”

Jo will take in beautiful landscapes as she passes through ancient villages along the 500-mile route, which lasts 40 days. However, she has never walked such a long way before.

She said: “Some days we’ll be walking 12-13-miles, and I plan on not having any rest days over the five weeks.”

“The first few days are hard as we’ll probably ascend more than 4,000 feet over approximately 15 miles.”

“I’m scared because if those days take it out of me, I’ll really struggle, but hopefully they won’t and I’ll get stronger and stronger as I walk.”

Jo Gill (right) with friend, Sherene (left).

Jo’s longest walk prior to taking on this once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage, was trekking for three weeks in the Pennines, in 2007.

The French Way will be a big challenge for Jo who took up trekking in her late forties, finding that she liked this particular way of keeping physically active.

“Challenges motive and drive me,” said Jo.

“I love being outdoors and getting to the top of a hill.”

In preparation for the route, Jo has been keeping her strength and fitness up by exercising in the gym, and going to the lakes for long walks.

She is determined to successfully complete the Camino and achieve her goal of raising £500 in aid of Bury Hospice, where she’s been a volunteer ever since retiring.

Jo said: “I love volunteering with the bereavement service, and I think the hospice does great work.”

“Over the past few years, barriers have broken down whereby people in the community are less scared of coming into the hospice, to visit or even be a patient.”

“The general thought of a hospice being a place where people go to solely die, has changed. There is so much vitality and vigour in Bury Hospice.”

She added: “There are some great people who work in the hospice, and I know people who have come in for various reasons.”

“Hospices are struggling nationwide and we need to keep them going because the funding is ridiculous; we need more money for hospice services.”

Prior to committing to the Camino de Santiago, Jo had thought her long distance walking days were behind her.

“It’s given me a new energy, and I think, by doing it, I’ll have a renewed confidence in what I can achieve,” said Jo.

“If I can do this, at my age, I can do almost anything.”

To support Jo’s full Camino in aid of Bury Hospice, please head here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jogillthefullcamino?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=EM