Pair embark on fourth fundraising pilgrimage

Bob Wells and Philip Johnson have been close since they were 10-year-old pupils at Bishop’s Stortford College.

This month, they are taking on a 60-mile stretch of the famous Camino de Santiago, a network of pilgrims' ways leading to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in north-western Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James the Great are buried.

In the Middle Ages, the Camino de Santiago – or Way of Saint James – became an important pilgrimage for Christians; many completed the journey in the hope they would be forgiven their sins.

A network of passages was created, beginning in several European countries, the UK being one of them. In recent years, the Camino de Santiago has seen a resurgence in popularity, although many now take part to savour the scenery rather than for religious reasons.

This is the fourth successive year that Bob and Philip, both 69, will have walked a section of the Camino. They set off on Thursday (April 4) to hike from Astorga to Sarria in Galicia.

“It all started about five years ago when a friend of mine walked a section of the Camino de Compostela,” said Bob.

“After talking with my friend, I became vaguely interested, but never imagined I might walk any part of it. I'd never had a great interest in walking for enjoyment and, being in my mid-60s, at that point had no intention of taking it up.”

But everything changed when Philip was diagnosed with heart disease and admitted to leading heart and lung hospital Royal Papworth, near Cambridge, for a triple bypass operation.

Bob went to visit him and saw that his friend was in desperate need of some cheering up.

“I found him quite depressed about his situation,” said Bob. “This is a guy who is like my other brother. We’re very close. I saw him like that and I thought, he needs something to look forward to.

“Without thinking too much, I asked him if he would fancy getting fit and walking a section of the Camino with me. When he said that he would, I suddenly realised that I had now committed myself to getting fit enough to cope with several days of 20-plus kilometre walks.”

In 2016, the pair walked their first section of the Camino.

“When you do a certain number of miles they give you something called a credential. It’s all terribly posh-looking and written in Latin,” said Bob.

The pair raised money for the British Heart Foundation on their first Camino pilgrimage. The following year, Bob shifted his fundraising focus when another cause became even closer to his heart.

That year, one of his daughters, Sarah Wells, 40, who lives in Nursery Road with her four-year-old son Freddie, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Bob was determined to raise as much as he could for MS Research in the hope that the charity can discover better ways of treating the condition.

“When you’re a parent, if your child needed a kidney it would be a no-brainer. If they needed a blood transfusion it would be a no-brainer. With MS, there's nothing you can do. It leaves you feeling so helpless,” said Bob. “It’s a horrible, insidious disease.”

Bob lives in Pleasant Road, off Chantry Road, with his wife, Min Stiles, who herself has taken part in some intrepid fundraisers.

In May 2018, she and her friend Mandy Wheedon raised £2,000 for the Herts & Essex branch of Samaritans, where they both volunteer, by doing the Crumball Rally, a 1,000-plus mile drive in a car that costs £200 or less.

Philip has done the Camino with Bob every year since 2016. “There have been other people joining us along the way, but it's just he and I this time around,” said Bob.

The pair estimate their 60-mile walk will take around six days. They hope to average 10 miles a day and celebrate the end of each one with a well-earned beer.

The trip will also give Bob and Philip a chance to catch up. Philip no longer lives in Stortford and has moved to Beccles in Suffolk.

“It’s just a boys’ trip away. We've been friends close on 60 years,” said Bob. “It’s nice to get away and just spend some days together.”

This year, Bob is aiming to raise £500 for MS Research. Visit his JustGiving page to sponsor him.