Vicar walks 500 miles in 28-day pilgrimage

A vicar from Alderney swapped parish life for one of the world's toughest pilgrim routes, walking about 500 miles (800km) across Spain in just under a month.

Mother Samantha Martell took on the famous Camino Frances, the French Way, which stretches from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

"I've always wanted to do it," said Martell who completed it in 28 days, with long days on her feet.

"You'd start up and out, walk 10km before breakfast, another 10km before lunch, another 10km before a beer and an ice cream and then however many you had left at the end of the day before you collapsed into a heap."

The journey tested her physically and mentally, especially on the Meseta, a dry central stretch, she said.

"You just head down, just keep going, just one foot in front of the other." There were lighter moments too, with cheap wine and laughs along the way.

But not every stop was glamorous - one hostel had 26 bunks on one floor with one shower and one loo. "I had a slight sense of humour failure at that point," she said.

Despite expecting quiet time for reflection, she found something different. "There was lots of prayer going on, but it was as we walked and as we talked and people we met."

Asked at the finish why she did it, her answer came instantly: "It's all for God."

Now back home, she is still taking it in. "I've come back slightly different, I don't quite know how yet… but I know I'm different."

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