Weldmar Overseas Challenge: Camino de Santiago

If you don’t exercise regularly already, you should aim to start training as early as possible, and make sure you include plenty of hills. The best training is hill walking, which will prepare you for the type of terrain you will experience.

Other activities which can complement hill walking include running, cycling, gym workouts, boot camps etc. Building up your core and leg muscle strength is important, so exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups, planks and crunches will really enhance your training. These exercises can be done at home – no gym needed! Getting as fit as you can will help you get the most out of this challenge.

Anyone aged 18+ can take part! An ideal candidate for the trek is someone who is open-minded, positive, flexible, and enjoys the challenges of the great outdoors. This trek in particular is rated moderate to challenging, so a great one for those who might want to take their first step into overseas challenges.

Basic hotels and simple guesthouses on a twin or triple share basis. Bathrooms will generally be private with showers and flushing toilets, but there may occasionally be shared facilities.

Breakfast and evening meals will be taken in a communal dining room at the accommodation or at local restaurants. You will enjoy hearty, delicious Spanish meals that will keep your energy levels high for each day’s trek. You’ll eat packed lunches that you will carry yourself each day, or stop in small local restaurants. If you have any dietary requirements or preferences, just let us know in advance of the trek.

Although it will vary throughout the 5 days, it will mostly consist of country roads, compact dirt and stone footpaths, forest tracks, gravel trails, paved streets, and through woods and meadows with some uphill and downhill paths. There will be undulating terrain on most days, so it’s important that your training includes walking up and down hills!

Registration Fee

A non-refundable registration fee of £395 is required upon booking. The deposit can be paid in two instalments.

Full Fundraising Option

Once you’re signed up, you will need to fundraise a minimum of £3,860 for Weldmar Hospicecare.

Part Funded Option

You may decide that you are happy to self-fund part of the challenge. The suggested option is to self fund £1,000, which can be paid in instalments. This will leave you with a minimum fundraising target of £2,860 – 100% of which will go to Weldmar Hospicecare, helping to provide specialist end of life care for adults in Dorset with a life limiting illness, and support for their loved ones.

Please speak to a member of our team if you would like to discuss these options in further detail. Complete the ‘register your interest’ form at the bottom of this page with your contact details and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

This trek is graded moderate to challenging. You will be trekking long distances over varying terrain which includes some uphill sections, in varying weather conditions. You will stay in basic
hotels and guesthouses. You will be walking for many hours and sometimes on steep gradients. It is essential that you are fit enough to trek for at least 7-8 hours at a time for multiple consecutive days. Regular breaks are taken, but long days of walking are inevitable. You cannot be too fit for this challenge so you should train well before your departure.

There are just a few things that you will also need to budget for:

• Visa or travel permit depending on EU regulations at the time of departure
• Travel insurance
• Tips (we recommend £30-35pp)
• Personal expenses (e.g. drinks, souvenirs etc.)
• Any necessary vaccinations
• Personal trek kit and equipment (the full guide to this Overseas Challenge will provide you with full details of what you need).

Your Overseas Challenge experience doesn’t just start when the plane takes off to take you on your adventure. We put together a series of training walks and social events so that you can meet and bond with those joining you on the trip. The Weldmar Hospicecare Fundraising team will also support you all the way when it comes to fundraising. This includes ideas and tips on how to reach your target, providing collecting buckets, posters for your fundraising events, and more.

The following is also included at no additional costs:

• Return flights from London (inc. current taxes and fuel surcharges)
• Transfers and transport in Spain
• Accommodation in specified
• All meals (excluding lunch on day 7)
• English-speaking local guides
• Luggage transfers during the trek
• Representatives from Weldmar Hospicecare and Different Travel