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Intelsius Brochure
The Intelsius Camino Relay gives Intelsius employees a chance to walk a portion of the Camino de Santiago – a 780km pilgrimage route that traverses Spain, France, Portugal and Italy with all routes leading to The Santiago Cathedral in the city of Santiago de Compostela. Intelsius sponsors two employees each year to complete a leg of the walk. The chosen employees will then select a charity each to fundraise for, and we will match that fundraising amount for our corporate charity, ORCA.
The first leg of the walk was completed in 2018 by our employees Abi and Fiona, covering the first section of the Camino, a total of 113km from Saint Jean Pied de Port to the town of Estella. In 2019, another two employees continued the walk, Jayne and Patrycja walked a total of 120 km, ending their Camino journey in the town of Belorado. After a three-year Covid hiatus, two more Intelsius employees, Toby and Tracy walked from Belorado to Fromista in Northern Spain, trekking 140+ kilometres over 5 days.
This year, the Camino journey continued. Product Development Team Lead Christiane Walker and Production Manager Gillian Paterson walked over 114km from Fromista to Leon, Spain over 5 days.
In this blog, we speak to Christiane and Gill about their walking experience.
How was the Camino Walk? Tell us about your experience.
Gill:
The walk was a great experience. It is hard to describe how it leaves you feeling. Although it was tough, it felt like quite a spiritual experience, like food for the soul. The weather was not in our favour, with rain and high winds on most days, but that made the experience of walking in the sunshine much better. It gave me time to reflect on life – and how we cannot control the weather!
Chrissy:
For me, the Walk was incredibly challenging but very rewarding. I’m not someone who usually partakes in activities like this but going through this experience has proven to me that I can push myself beyond my limits. Gill and I were very lucky with getting the flat part of the walk, however, this came with the mental challenge of having long stretches of uninterrupted walking with few landmarks.
What were some highlights and challenges you faced along the way?
Gill:
The walk’s highlights were the one day of sunshine that we had and seeing new places that I would not normally have visited. Crossing the finish line was an amazing feeling of achievement, Chrissy and I managed to have a good laugh along the way!
The biggest challenges for me were having to carry on despite wanting to give up and give in and knowing that I had hours and hours of walking in the rain and wind. It was mentally and physically challenging.
Chrissy:
The first few days of the walk we had to contend with continuous rain and danger level winds from a hurricane. This really pushed us to our limits and I’ve never been more grateful for Gill’s hair dryer! However, a real highlight was Days 4 and 5 when the weather cleared and we were walking in the Sun and we met lots of little kittens!
How have your fundraising efforts gone?
Gill:
I am very happy that I have managed to beat my fundraising target by almost six times! It went much better than I expected and I managed to raise a £2,138 for the British Heart Foundation.
Chrissy:
I was fundraising for Guide Dogs. This charity has always been very important to me and my family. We recently lost a close friend, Michael, who had had a Guide Dog for the blind since his teenage years. Growing up, we were around guide dogs a lot and saw firsthand the importance of the work they do. In total, I managed to raise £725 which is more than I’ve ever raised before. I’m very thankful to everyone who donated and for all the support.
What would you say to Intelsius employees considering applying for the Camino 2025?
Gill:
I would encourage everyone to put their names down because the Camino is unlike any other experience. You might wonder what would happen if you got paired with someone you don’t know, but I would say this is the perfect opportunity to do so. Chrissy and I were a great match in terms of stamina and resilience and I will cherish the memories we have made!
Chrissy:
It’s well worth doing and is an experience that most people won’t get to do. Even if you think you are not physically capable of the walk, you can always do it at your own pace, and having someone beside you is one of the best motivators to keep going. Gill was a constant support and we chatted nonstop for 5 days. A caveat: If you don’t like meat and potatoes – don’t go.
