Anne Beckett-Allen, of Rosedales Funeral Home in Diss, completes 550 mile trek through France and Spain
A woman has completed a two-month long pilgrimage, walking more than 550 miles along an ancient network of routes, leading to the tomb of St James.
The Camino de Santiago – a popular route covered by Christians since the 10th century – saw Anne Beckett-Allen trek from France to western Spain.
Otherwise known as the Way of St James, it is a pilgrimage leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.
“My goal was to walk across the whole of Spain and it was very emotional for me when I reached the end,” she told the Diss Express.
“Being away from my husband, Simon, my children and Diss, which I have not been away from for longer than two weeks before, in a country where you do not speak the language, like Spain, was a massive challenge.
“This opportunity took me out of my comfort zone, but has taught me lessons about myself which I hope to be able to bring back into my normal life now that I am home.”
Starting from St Jean Pied de Port in France, the 51-year-old joined other pilgrims at the foot of the Pyrenees, before crossing into Spain and then on to the cathedral in the north-west of the country – a total of 550 miles.
“Being a mum, running a business and having other responsibilities, you find yourself giving your all to everyone,” she said.
“During the pilgrimage, for those weeks, I only had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other and finding a bed for the night. It was just an incredible experience.”
The majority of pilgrims finished at Santiago, but Mrs Beckett-Allen, a director at Rosedale Funeral Home, carried on for a further 90km to reach the west coast village of Fisterra.
The mother-of three had long aspired to take on the challenge, but had not had the opportunity before now.
“I have always loved doing endurance events,” she said. “I have done the Paris Marathon and an ironman in 2011.
“I read about people taking on the pilgrimage years ago when my children were young. I thought I would never be able to do that – it felt like an impossible dream.
“But, over the years, it has called to me and, when the stars finally aligned and the opportunity came about, I thought I needed to take the chance.”
The eight-week challenge gave participants plenty of opportunities to wonder at the beauty of the scenery, and embrace moments of solitude.
“One of the spiritual highlights was sleeping on mats in the attic of a Spanish church,” she said. “We prepped our meal together and went into the church while it was cooking for a blessing.
“There was a point where candles were lit, we all held hands and recited the Lord’s Prayer in our own languages – it was very moving.
“I feel it has strengthened my faith, not in the churches and monasteries I visited, but I found some in the countryside, in the vineyards and reaching the sea at the end.
“So for me, those places were where I felt closest to God.”