TO CELEBRATE reaching the age of 70 Keith Chammings has no intention of slowing down – in fact he's doing the complete opposite and has chosen to walk to Spain from Abergavenny.

Today (Thursday) Keith is leaving the comfort of his Croesonen Parc home to walk to Santiago Compostela and Finisterre in Spain – a distance of more than 1,400 miles.

Keith says that his expedition to the west coast of Spain will take more than 80 days.

The challenge is starting the day after his landmark birthday, when he will set off on his own from his back door, turning right outside his gate and heading for the Offa's Dyke Path which leads to Chepstow.

Keith explained that he had chosen the Camino de Santiago Compostela as his destination as it is officially the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago.

It is here that Saint James, who was one of Jesus Christ's apostles, is buried. Santiago is about three days' walk from Finisterre, 'the end of the Earth' on the west coast of Spain and the final end of Keith's walk.

He added, "While the walk is a personal challenge for me I am also raising money for charity.

"A few years ago I fell and broke my leg while I was hiking along the Skirrid.

"The people who came to my aid were the volunteers from the Longtown Mountain Rescue Team, which is based here in Abergavenny.

"For me choosing a charity to benefit from my challenge was an easy decision to make and I had no hesitation in nominating the Longtown Mountain Rescue Team."

Keith will be wearing a scallop shell, the badge of a pilgrim, while on his walk. Originally this shell was brought home from the coast of Galicia near Santiago as a souvenir.

He will also be carrying a pilgrim's passport, which will give him entry to the hostels along the route and will be stamped each day.

After leaving Wales over the old Severn Bridge, Keith will take various footpaths in a south easterly direction to bypass Bristol, but walk through Wells, Castle Cary, Sherborne and Blandford Forum en-route to Poole. Here, being a non-swimmer and unable to walk on water, catching a cross-channel ferry to St Malo is the only way to overcome this small problem.

Keith is no stranger to long distance walking, having previously walked the pilgrim route to Santiago from Le Puy en Velay in France as well as treks through the Pyrenees and even from Abergavenny to Beaupreau

To help Keith with his fundraising you can donate online at justgiving.com/KEITH-CHAMMINGS.