Story
I have decided to mark my 60th year with a personal challenge - to walk the Portuguese Camino, the "way of St James" from Lisbon, Portugal to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain, purportedly, the final resting place of St James the apostle. My journey will follow the scenic coastal and spiritual path, a route which has been well trodden by pilgrims over the centuries. I will cover a distance of 700km (435 miles) over 27 days starting on the 5th April in Lisbon and finishing at the Cathedral in Santiago on 2nd May 2024. I will be walking alone, unsupported, carrying everything I need for the journey in a backpack and staying in local hostels, B&Bs and hotels along the way. I will be posting a daily blog on this Just Giving page as well as CRAPAA’s website and Facebook page (see below) to keep you appraised of my progress.
There are a number of reasons why I have decided to challenge myself. Firstly, to get fit, lose weight and address my chronic back issues. Secondly, to reflect on my first 60 years, the good and the bad, as preparation for the next chapter of my life. However, the most important reason, is that I promised my step father Keith before he sadly passed away in 2019 that I would walk the Camino. We chatted about it many times and I believe if he hadn't become unwell at the time we would have planned and walked the route together. He was, as an O’Hara, passionate about Portugal and dogs, he loved both! Keith was and remains the most influential person in my life so I will be walking in his memory and I'm sure he will be with me every step of the way. I have planned my journey to arrive in Santiago on 2 May, which would have been Keith's 75th birthday.
Whilst this will be a personal journey, I would also like to raise some money for a good cause. As a family, the O’Hara’s all have 2 things we are passionate about, Portugal and dogs. We have had a second home in Salir do Porto, near Caldas da Rainha, Portugal since 2007 and during that time we have helped, in small ways, a local dog rescue association CRAPAA (Caldas da Rainha Associacao Protectora dos Animais Adandonados), a predominately volunteer led and funded organisation established in 2001. Over the years we have seen amazing progress with dedicated input from locals, volunteers and local businesses and animal organisations. Their work is often challenging, usually relentless and progress is often dependant on donations and small-scale self made funding. However, when you visit the shelter site on the outskirts of Caldas da Rainha all the dogs, whatever their age or needs, are looked after, they are safe, fed, walked and loved by those looking after them. Many do go on to be adopted and live locally, some travel to live in other countries with new families and others are looked after by foster families. Some do remain but their lives are usually so much better than before shelter life. We want to continue to support this work so we asked CRAPAA what could we help them achieve with a designated amount of funds.
CRAPAA identified the need to support the building of a dedicated puppy centre at the main site. Currently pregnant or abandoned mothers and puppies are housed in the same kennels as the other adult dogs which doesn’t adequately allow for additional care needs required by these dogs and their babies. They need to be in surroundings that are quieter, warm and dry with adequate sanitation built in to enable the mums to remain safely and comfortably with her puppies in their early months. Plans have already been agreed and the cost of the project is circa. £15,000. I would therefore like to raise the money so that the building of the puppy centre can start as soon as possible. If your kindness exceeds my ambition, I will ensure that any surplus funds are allocated to one of the many ongoing and planned future improvement projects.
Please have a look at the links below which not only show the range of work and support provided by CRAPAA but also pictures of some of the amazing dogs and their stories.
I know for me this challenge will not be easy. I also know there will be some (perhaps lots) of pain and discomfort, pyhsically and spiritually, along the way. For me to achieve this I need to constantly remind myself why I choose to do this, I need to remain positive and to keep the focus on putting one foot in front of the other - at least a million times. Can't wait.
