Gary makes good progress on his 500-mile charity trek

* Pilgrim's progress: Gary Fletcher sets out on the famous Camino De Santiago Pilgrim Trail.  

Despite the heat and his blistered feet a Llangollen man says he is making good progress on his solo 500-mile charity walk to raise at least £10,000 for a local hospital’s specialist children’s unit. 

Gary Fletcher, 44, is trekking through France and Spain along the famous Camino De Santiago Pilgrim Trail.  

He reckons it will take him between six and eight weeks, dependent on the weather or any injuries he might sustain along the way. 

Gary, who recently sold his development site next to White Waters Hotel and is looking for another property in or around the town, spent weeks training for his foot-slogging marathon by climbing local hills and mountains and sweating it out in daily gym sessions. 

* He's had to tape up his badly blistered feet.

He also mounted an intensive publicity and social media campaign to gain the sponsorship from local businesses that he needs before he can set off on the challenge in aid of the pioneering Movement Centre at the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen.  

Before leaving he said: “I have wanted to do something to help children in our country for some time. With the centre I have found the perfect charity to support as it relies solely on donations and private fundraising to continue its work supporting children of all ages with mobility issues.” 

His regular posts on Facebook detail how he set off aboard the Eurostar from London bound for Paris on May 6.

A couple of days later he was in at the start of the walk in a town named St Jean de Port in the French Pyrenees trying to get used to the heat and acquiring the first stamp in his official Camino passport.

Soon afterwards he recorded how he was en route to Pamplona city in Spain – with his goal of Santiago De Compostela still 790 kms distant.

Not long afterwards Gary was reporting on some painful blisters on the toes of both feet for which he had bought some special padded socks.

He also revealed how much he was sweating due to the heat and the coat he was having to wear because of rain along the trail.

 * You can sponsor Gary at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/500-mile-walk-along-the-camino-santiago-trail