A north-east churchman will trek from the most northerly tip of the UK to Aberdeen in the memory of a Scottish saint to raise funds for his place of worship.
The Very Reverend Canon Emsley Nimmo will begin the marathon trail on Sunday, starting in Unst, Shetland, and walking to his own St Margaret’s Church in the Gallowgate, Aberdeen.
He will be following in the footsteps of St Magnus, “the martyr” of Orkney, to raise money for the upkeep of an iconic stainless steel glass window which has been a feature of his church for more than a century.
The first stage in the pilgrimage of Canon Nimmo – the Scottish Episcopal Dean of Aberdeen and Orkney – will move from Unst south to Lerwick.
From there he will travel to Orkney, passing through the mainland to Stromness before sailing to Scrabster on the Scottish mainland.
Here he will be given a lift to Fraserbrugh, before embarking on the final leg of the journey to Aberdeen via the former Formartine and Buchan railway line.
Proceeds from the trek will go towards the restoration of the window in St Margaret’s, which forms part of its convent chapel.
The stonework around it is in dire need of repair and Canon Nimmo has set a target of £10,000 to renovate it.
The chapel is of wider historical significance as the second work to be commissioned by legendary Aberdeen church architect, Ninian Comper, in the late 1800s.
Canon Nimmo said: “The windows themselves are one of the earliest examples of Comper’s work. They are very valuable in terms of the arts and crafts movement.
“The glass is particularly beautiful, one of the windows has been repaired after the Luftwaffe brought it in during World War II.”
The trek follows the success of his journey from Aberdeen to the Isle of Lismore last year, which raised £14,000 for the restoration of St Andrew’s Cathedral, on King Street.
Canon Nimmo said he was looking forward to hitting the road again for his latest 12-day journey.
“I think the thing about walking is it gets you in touch with the land and at the end of the day that is where we are all from, it is the land that makes us the people we are,” he added.