Chesterfield office worker turns explorer for long-distance challenge

Corey Lavender, 40, from Somersall, has been a payroll manager at Shorts Chartered Accountants on Ashgate Road for the last 23 years.

But, yearning for some adventure after the Christmas break, he handed in his notice at the firm on the first day back and will head out to France in early April.

He said: “I have had it in the back of my mind for some time - I was going to do it when I turned 40 but after Christmas I just thought if I really wanted to do it I had to do it now.

“I could have worked there for another 20 or 30 years quite happily but I don’t want to have any regrets - life’s too short.

“One of the young lads at work hasn’t been very well recently after being diagnosed with lymphoma and things like that make you realise that you don’t know what’s around the corner.”

The hike Corey is about to undertake is a long-distance walking route known as the Camino de Santiago or Way of St James.

It has been used by Christian pilgrims for centuries to travel to the shrine of St James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain but is now more commonly used by people looking to test themselves against one of the world’s most iconic walking routes.

Corey says his bosses at work have been ‘great’ about his decision and they united to find his successor.

“A few colleagues look at me a bit quizzically when I tell them what I’m doing but some are a bit jealous as well I think,” says Corey.

As to Corey’s next objective he does say he has had his eyes on other long distance routes like the Appalachian Trail in the Eastern United States but will leave a decision on his next objective until he gets back from Spain.

During his trip he hopes to keep in touch with family and friends back home by writing a blog which can be read at www.walkthewayblog.wordpress.com.