On the 6th July I'm leaving Milford Haven to undertake a 500 mile trek for charity before starting university in October. The walk begins in St. Jean Pied de Port, South-West France and ends in Santiago de Compostela, North-West Spain, following a recognised pilgrimage route. I'll be doing the walk alone and have planned to walk up to 25-30 km a day, which, including several days for rest or illness, will take approximately 35days. This is one of the biggest things that I will have done in my life and hopefully will be able to give a little bit of peace of mind to my aunt's family.

The money raised will support the Multiple Sclerosis Society in honour of my aunt who died from this disease. Any amount regardless of how small or large will be greatly appreciated. If you would like any further information please call me direct on 01646 692777 or text me on 07800749425. Thank you in advance if you can help in any way.

I'll be checking in at internet cafes on the way so you'll be able to see how i'm doing, where I am and if I still have legs!

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Multiple Sclerosis Society will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So please sponsor me now! Many thanks for your support. p.s. If you need to contact me my email address is nicole.haegeman@gmail.com or you can add me on msn messenger at nicole_annette_h@hotmail.com Day 1 & 2: well i arrived in france yesterday, took a bus to bayonne and stayed the night. im waiting now for a train to st.jean pied de port. excuse my typing, the letters are strange on a french keyboard! this is insane. im not so much nervous at the minute as scared sh*tless! how easy it all looks on paper! its amazing to be here though, i still cant believe its happening. only a month to go! it seems like a long way away from this point... i did myself proud yesterdqy by ordering a hotdog using my french.. something along the lines of un hotdog sils vous plait...genius! so if u are reading this please send me some emails, for some reason cannot get into my gmail account. until the next internet cafe, take care. missing everyone already. day6: Damn... wrote a piece yesterday for some reason it´s not here! Well the last few days have been interesting. I´ve developed a lovely group of walking buddies and we spur each other a long a bit. One is hungarian, one italian, and two spanish! I´m picking up the language very quickly because not a lot of people speak english, but it´s amazing just how much you can understand by listening. I am becoming famous on the route! I met a lovely big burly italian bloke a few days ago and he´s been leaving me little notes along the trail. People keep asking, "are you nicole?" "where is nicole is she ok" heheheh don´t know what i´ve done! I´m in Estella at the minute, i have walked from stjeanv - roncessvalles - Larrasoana - pamplona - puente la reina - estella. Pamplona was insane. It´s the bull racing festical so absolutely everyone is wearing white with red flags for the bulls.. it´s like wlaking into a nightmare. The streets are narrow with high stone buildings, which makes it feel odd... and then..... they let the bulls loose in the street to chase the people.... just an ordinary day then!!! I can believe i haven´t even been away a week, it feels like months already. The walking is incredibly hard, and it´s very hot now. You can´t think, just have to keep moving... every step is damn painful now!! but.. on a good note.. only have one blister so far... TOUCH WOOD!!!! the refuges where i stay are just big rooms with lots of bunkbeds with toilets and showers... you become very close to everyone that way.. there´s no such thing as dignity on the road to santiago!!!!! only umm... about 27 days to go! My birthday on sunday!!!!!!! we´re not going to take a day off... but will probably have a few driniks when we get in.... better go.. blabbing.. lots of love , Nicole xx who is very sunburnt.. *just reading what i wrote below.. why didn´t someone hit me over the head and go.. umm.. nik... 500 m is a looooooong way.. what are you thinking???* day.. can´t remember! : Feeling little low today.. was a hard walk made more so by the fact that my head really isn´t with it today.. ! Will write more at the next point.. santiago seems like a long way away... love nik xxxx Day 10: At the moment I am in Santo Domingo. I have had to take the bus here from the last stop because i´ve devleoped a very painful infection in my foot! Doctor has given me 3 types of medicine including antibiotics and told me not to walk for 3 -4 days, so am a bit annoyed. But i am following my friends to the next stops by bus because i don´t want to leave them! I have known them for 9 days and they feel like family. Today one of them went home, he was our father!! feels very strange... tommorow is my birthday and we shuold be arriving in belorado! they will walk and i will meet them in the hostel for a big FIESTA!!! but can´t drink.. damn antibiotics... can´t wait to get on the road again... felt strange not wlaking today... but i spent my day with a german friend, Ludgar and his sister who both have injuries and so we cheer each other up!! better head off... take care, Nik xxx 40C over here!!!! hot hot hot! 18th July: I started to walk again today, a ocuple of days early but my foot feels fine thank god!! Had a lovely day today, walked 28km but the cooler weather made it seem a lot less. I walked with a brazilian friend and we had a lovely chat about a lot of things.. was very refreshing.. and also nice to have a conversation in english! I´m staying at a very posh albergue tonight, very nice showers... ! ah the little things in life! Thank you to all those who have been sponsoring me! Have almost reached the 2000 mark! 11 days down 22 to go!! we are getting there.. slowly but surely!! forgot the date!!!! oops.. Thursday!: Still trekking.. had a lovely birthday, got champagne and cake! mixed well with the anitbiotics!! Been having a lovely few days, walking over soft hills of wheat and barley, the feet are good, infection gone! My little family is getting stronger, we are slowly forgetting about Santiago and thinking no more into the future than what we will have for dinner, it´s a refreshing feeling. I´ve met so many people on this walk, it feels as if i´ve been here months, like it´s normal to do this everyday! Most of these people i will never see of hear of again, but that while when you´re with them it´s like you´ve known each other years. No need for introductions, small talk, share a bottle of wine, talk about the walk, the camino of life!!! hehe... We are practically half way through. I have never in my life made a dream of mine real... a lot of times i´ve thought, i´ll do this and that.. etc. but never gone through with it. It´s a strange feeling, literally like a dream.. It makes everything else seem so much more obtainable.. 24 July: Things have been really good. Should make it to Leon on Wednesday. I met someone today who has travelled all the way from Jerusalem by foot, it´s a group of three and they have walked for 2 years and they aim to get to santiago in the next few weeks. It´s incredible. They are a group of a muslim a jew and a christian, and they are walking for peace. 2 years walking.. can´t believe it. There was a bomb in Santiago yesterday, terrible. I´m feeling good at the moment. Staying in a small town tonight, no shops, nothing.. hungrryyy... chocolate chocolate. Last night we stayed in a campsite, shared a tent between 5 of us, was really nice. 5th August: Sorry been a bit lazy these days with checking in! We´re in Galicia at the moment, it´s becoming colder, scenery is changing, becoming more mountainous, a lot more welcoming! We´ve had a really lovely week, stayed in some really nice albergues (hostels). One was an extremely old building, but full of the spirit of the camino, we had a communal prayer with the nuns, one of which was singing. Absolutely stunning voice, was a very powerful moment. Now we are in a town called Portamarin, it´s on a mountain next to a river really breathtaking views. A couple of days ago we climbed our last big mountain up to O Cebreiro, a tiny stone built town with heavy celtic influence. I was shocked to hear celtic music playing on the top of this spanish mountain! Was a good feeling to get to the top but am paying for it now! Am back to being an invalid, i have tendonitis in my ankle with has been quite painful,´i´m hobbling like a grandma, eating anti-inflammatories for main meals. I´m not going to stop now though, it´s too close to the end, i will not take a bus, just carry on walking, or crawling!! Next time i write i will most likely be in Santiago. What a trip, i wish i had written more but it´s been difficult. A month of walking, if someone said to me a couple of months ago that i would really be doing this i wouldn´t have believed them...and thanks again to everyone who´s been sponsoring!!! take care all.. xxxx 14th August 2005 At the moment i'm sitting in my house in Wales, i got home a few days ago. I'm feeling a little lost but content. I am so grateful for the experience that I was able to have. I owe it all to the people I shared the last month with. Without them I doubt that I would have made it to Santiago. Alfonso, Judit, Paolo, Marcal, and Carles. These people are very close to my heart, I didn't take a step on that Camino without thinking about them. It was heartbreaking to say goodbye, but the road we shared together was unique and remains special. If any of you are reading this I just want to say thank you.. oh and... una cerveza por favor!!! Seeing the Cathedral at Santiago for the first time was incredible. Bitter-sweet in that it meant we had made it, but also that it was the end. The Camino has strengthened my faith in people, that people can trully be kind and good, that they can give not to have something in return but because they want to. There is such a strong sense of family and loyalty between the pilgrims, there is too little of that here in the 'real' world. We have lost so much of what makes being alive and together a magical experience. We don't trust each other anymore, we are scared to help people because we are scared to receive help from people. It takes trust to break down your barriers with people, but sometimes you just have to do it, take as many chances as you can, better to get hurt than to become an emotionless robot. Skepticism is a disease. Trust like a child would trust. Before I begin to sound too much like a self-help book i'm going to sign off! I went to the hospital to see about my ankle, nothing serious i've just twisted a few ligaments, so in a brace and resting! No more walking for me.. damn shame! :) Before I go, thank you to everyone for all your support, it really helped to know that people back home were with me! Now it's time to get drunk!!!