THE thought of walking 100 miles would be a scary thought for most people.

But two intrepid management consultants from Worcester walked 570 miles across Spain in a bid to raise money for St Richard's Hospice.

Parul Rabheru, 33, and Andrew Hine, 46, who split their time between their work in London and their home in Diglis, took on the gruelling challenge as a thank you to the hospice for the care given to Lesley Wall, a friend of theirs who died in February, aged 45.

Walking the Camino Frances pilgrims’ route took them five weeks and saw them walk from the French Pyrenees via Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre, the medieval ‘end of the earth’ on the north-west coast of Spain.

Miss Rabheru said: “Getting to the Atlantic Ocean was really special. It was the point at which we realised that we really have walked all the way across Spain. Sitting on the cliff edge at Finisterre, which means literally 'the end of the earth', felt pretty amazing.

“We haven’t done anything like this before but wanted to give something back to St Richard’s because the hospice staff cared for Lesley in her final days with amazing compassion and dignity that made an unbearable experience just a bit more bearable. We were deeply touched to see this care for someone who was so dear to us and we are fundraising so that other families facing life-threatening illness can do so with the incredible support of the hospice.”

So far the pair have raised more than £2,700, despite feeling unprepared for the challenge at times.

The pair experienced a low point walking across the agricultural plains between two mountain ranges in the middle of the walk, where endless fields gave the impression they were barely moving.

However, high points included walking into Santiago and attending the daily pilgrim's mass.

The hospice provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, and needs donations to continue its work.

For more information, visit www.strichards.org.uk and to donate to the couple, visit www.justgiving.com/andrew-parul.