A FARNDALE man has completed an epic walk from the Scottish border to Rome - and raised more than £3,000 for Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA).

Stuart Nelson walked, in total, 1,847.76 miles, in 3,500,488 steps, from Marshall Meadows just north of Berwick-upon-Tweed to St Peter’s Square in Rome.

The 66-year-old set off on May 3 and descended onto the Viale Angelico and into the papal enclave of the Vatican on September 16.

Upon arrival, Stuart said he felt emotional.

“It was incredible to suddenly get the first views of the city,” he said.

“We followed the steep, hair-pin curves of the wibbly-wobbly way downhill, then on to St Peter’s Square.

“It had all come to this one place at this one moment.” His route took him from Northumberland south, past his home of Farndale and Castle Howard and down to London.

From there, he walked to Canterbury, then south. After crossing the channel to France, he followed a route now called the Via Francigena, which heads roughly southwest

close to the France/Belgium

border.

From here, the route wound through France, Switzerland and through the Alps to Italy.

Stuart raised money through his justgiving page and also received a £1,000 donation from the Hillard’s Trust.

Stuart said: “To all of you who have sent me your good wishes and congratulations - thank you.”

He also blogged throughout his journey at facebook.com/manintheblueblazer.

“I have been asked ‘What next?’” he wrote.

“I have it in mind that the road goes on from Rome - to Jerusalem.”

Mr Nelson is no stranger to long physical challenges in aid of the YAA, a charitable organisation which relies on donations to fund its life-saving work and which requires £12,000 each day to keep its helicopters in the air.

Last year he cycled from the northernmost tip of the Isle of Unst in the Shetlands, to St Agnes, the southernmost inhabited island of the Scillies, on behalf of the charity.