A ROYAL British Legion employee has walked the entire length of Hadrian’s Wall in a bid to raise funds and awareness for the charity.

Isobel Thompson, who works as an information and advice officer at the RBL's Regent Street Pop-In centre completed the 84-mile route, accompanied by her sister Ruth Phoenix.

The intrepid sisters raised a total of £565 for the charity, following seven days of walking from Bowness in Solway to Wall’s End, Newcastle.

Isobel said she was delighted to have achieved her goal.

“We both felt a huge sense of achievement on completing the walk," she said.

"I had mixed feelings; on the one hand I was delighted at the thought of not having to walk 14 miles again the following day, but on the other hand, I was sad that it was over as it had been such a wonderful and memorable experience.”

It marked a special bonding experience for the sisters as Ruth is based in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, meaning time spent together is very precious to the pair.

“I enjoyed the whole thing. It was lovely to spend time with my sister, as we live at opposite ends of the country and so don’t see as much of each other as we would like. We were good walking companions,” said Isobel.

“We were good company for each other, so this helped out when either one of us was flagging.” 

The sisters battled treacherous terrain to complete the historic route but their fundraising quest kept them going.

“The most nerve wracking part was in the middle, where the crags are very steep so we needed to keep an eye on our footing, especially when the rocks were wet and slippery,” said Isobel.

"This aggravated my hip, so it was quite sore for the second half of the walk, which slowed us down quite a lot.”

“The knowledge that we were raising money for a good cause helped us to carry on, and the knowledge that every step taken was a step in the right direction, and a step closer to the end.

“The scenery was spectacular. Northumberland is such a beautiful county. The people met along the way were lovely too.”

The ended with a flying visit to the Newcastle branch of the Pop-In Information and Advice centre of the Royal British Legion and an encounter with an unusual walker.

“They had put a sign in their window to advertise that we would be dropping in, and made a nice fuss of us, which was much appreciated,” said Isobel.

“Then two miles from the end we met a Roman legionary and his slave, who were just about to complete the walk too. We met them again at the end, in the museum at Wallsend.

RBL pop-in centres provide services to service personnel and veterans and provide a forum for the public to learn more about the charity and the services they provide

To sponsor Isobel, email IThompson@britishlegion.org.uk, or visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Isobel-Thompson2