Almost two years ago, Portobello School teacher Cheryl Neill headed off to Portugal to walk a whopping 1000km on one of the tracks for the Camino de Santiago, known in English as the Way of St James.
Her purpose was to raise money for the Dunedin Night Shelter.
This month, Ms Neill will be again strapping up her trail shoes and embarking on another pilgrimage through Portugal.
She will start in Camino in Porto.
In total, she planned to walk about 280km over two weeks in the midst of the southern European summer.
"Like last time, I’m raising money for the night shelter. It’s definitely a worthy cause."
When she tackled the challenge in 2023, Ms Neill raised more than $5000 for the charity.
"It’s important, I mean, we have this situation in the Oval, and if you can do something to support those who need some help, why not get started?"
The Camino de Santiago is a series of walks that converge at the medieval city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain, where St James — one of Jesus’ 12 apostles — is said to be buried.
Unlike last time when she had her sister for company, this year she was heading out alone.
"I’ll be fine, you meet lots of people ... It's all about the camaraderie and the people you meet, even though some can't always speak English, You make friends anyway."
One of the challenges she would face was the weather.
June in Portugal, she had learnt in 2023, was definitely summertime, and the temperatures could climb into the mid-30s.
She would try to get the bulk of walking done in the morning before the hottest part of the day at 3.30pm, but it would still be a warm walk.
Ms Neill did have plans to return one year to complete another Camino.
"I'm not getting any younger, I'm 62. But, yeah, I think so," she said.
Ms Neill, who would be posting a Givealittle link in the coming days, said people would be able to find the link posted on social media by the Dunedin Night Shelter or on her own social media pages.
