A group of 29 people have completed a walk along the El Camino route in Spain for Junior Achievement Isle of Man.

More than £5,000 has been raised for the educational charity as a result.

Civil servant Marian Kenny took on the 117.5km challenge from Sarria to Santiago with a group of trekkers on a trip that was put off for two years due to the pandemic.

The group – the oldest member being 75 – walked around 22km per day across five days, the longest being about 30km, along the route.

It’s known for being one of the major Christian pilgrimages to Santiago and translates to ‘the way of St James’, the apostle.

Ms Kenny said: ‘I’ve never done anything like this before. I absolutely loved it.

‘You step out of the real world, you almost feel like you’re living in a bubble. It’s very immersive and I found that nobody wanted to check their phones.

‘It was one of those holidays where it was so immersive and your world was what you were doing and that was great for me.

‘We were walking through some absolutely gorgeous countryside, the scenery was bucolic. Everyone who lives and works along the Camino seems to be invested in the whole enterprise, there’s cafes and such. It didn’t seem commercialised at all and there’s lots of stopping places for pilgrims to reset and focus on doing the challenge.’

The trip was originally supposed to take place in 2019 but was put off twice over two years due to the pandemic.

Ms Kenny explained the different reasons many people got involved with the trek, saying: ‘Some people do it for religious and spiritual reasons and some people will do it after a bereavement or maybe when they’ve retired.

‘In our group, for most of us it was a challenge, something different, and everyone there loved their walking.’

‘Some came in small friendship groups but a lot of people came on their own and because we were all doing the same thing a bond formed that united us all. People from completely different backgrounds – bankers, fishermen, nurses, other civil servants, teachers, people from private sector, mums. But you all have this one purpose so you find yourself walking and talking to people who wouldn’t necessarily be in your friendship group normally.

‘It’s really opened my eyes to that kind of a holiday.’

She added: ‘You pay for the trip which includes the flights, accommodation, food, and the guides. On top of that there’s a fundraising target of £300 per head.

‘It was massively popular, everyone that went on it absolutely loved it, we all had so much fun.

‘If you like walking, fresh air, doing something with a purpose and a challenge, lovely food and meeting new people, this is for you. I’ve got 28 new friends now.’

Chief executive officer of JA Sue Cook said: ‘It was an amazing trek. We were absolutely delighted we could have so many people join us for it.’

JA thanked the Steam Packet for supporting the trekkers in their transport to the UK.