I'm being 'kind-napped' on my long walk to Rome

Geraldine McFaul will take about six months to walk from Glasgow to Rome

Rome was the number one destination on 54-year-old Glasgow woman Geraldine McFaul's bucket list.

For seven years she dreamed of visiting the city and all its historic landmarks.

It was only after a friend got fed up listening to those dreams that Geraldine turned them into a reality.

Now she is finally on her way - but she will be getting there on foot.

"I just had the thought, I've never been to Rome. I'm going to walk there one day," she said.

"My parents had been there and I've just always wanted to go. I've been many places, travelled a lot, but for some reason I've never been to Rome.

"My friends told me to stop talking and just get on with it."

So Geraldine, who works as a freelance risk management consultant, put on her walking shoes and set off in May.

Geraldine is likely to have walked closer to 2,000 miles when she finally arrives at the end of October.

She told BBC Scotland news: "I've done long walks before, but by that I mean 300-mile walks, not 2,000-mile walks."

Geraldine's determination has got her to France, with no set plans other than the vow that she will "never take a lift".

Geraldine admits the hardest part of the journey has been the hills

She walks about 12 miles a day while pulling a trailer, and on Monday she will pass the 1,000 mile mark in the north east of France.

Speaking to BBC Scotland News from a village called Chalindrey, she said she had been stunned by the kindness of strangers.

She even created a word for it - kindnapping.

"I've been constantly kind-napped," she said. "The first one was in Peebles. I went in a cafe and the owner spotted the trailer.

"She asked me about it and then told everyone else in the cafe what I was doing.

"One came over and invited me to stay at her house instead of camping. She ended up coming walking with me for a few days and I keep in touch.

Two weeks ago, she stopped a woman on a canal path in France to ask where the local supermarket was.

She said: "The woman was English and told me to go say hello to her husband who was on a barge along the path.

"When I came out of the supermarket she was there to invite me back to the barge for dinner and to stay.

"I've been sharing these stories on my Instagram page and people say I have restored their faith in people."

Geraldine with a friendly couple who "kindnapped" her in France and let her stay on their barge

Geraldine is following the Via Francigena, an ancient pilgrim route from Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, through Northern France, over the Swiss Alps and to the tombs of apostles Peter and Paul in Rome.

She said: "I headed to the border diagonally towards Peebles and Selkirk and then down the East of England to Canterbury.

"I am roughly following the Via Francigena to Rome. There's a technical hitch with that route though. It goes over some Alp-sized hills.

"So, I'll be turning right, heading to the coast and avoiding those climbs."

She has been lucky. "There's been no big disasters. Everything just seems to have happened and worked. I've not even had any blisters, I've not had any aches or pains at all, which is very bizarre".

Geraldine with a family she met by accident when a stranger offered their garden for her to camp in

The only low point has been the hills.

"I had a horrible time coming out of Scotland. It was a killer because the hills kept coming. There were tears that day and thinking what have I done? But I keep getting uplifted by people's support."

Throughout the unique journey, Geraldine, who is from Balornock, will be raising funds for two causes.

She is raising cash for Mary's Meals, in memory of her late father Pat, and Dementia UK which gave her support to her mother Agnes before she died from the disease.

Geraldine and her trailer are hoping to reach Rome at the end of October

When she arrives in Rome, Geraldine plans to celebrate with friends.

And, of course, she wants to see all the sights.

She said: "You don't walk there very often so I might as well get to see the place. Although I'm not doing this as a religious pilgrimage, I'm aiming to finish up the journey at The Vatican."

She added: "I'd like to take a tour around the city. But I think I'll rest my feet - and do it on a bus!"