A DUNFERMLINE nurse is taking on a gruelling 250-mile trek across Scotland to raise money for charity in memory of her late mother.

Eileen Paterson, who works in critical care at the Victoria Hospital, will be swapping her scrubs for hiking gear when she embarks on her solo adventure across the Rob Roy Way, West Highland Way and Great Glen Way.

The challenge will see her carry everything from her tent to the kitchen sink on her back as she camps out in the wild.

But Eileen is determined to see it through in honour of her mum, Margaret O’Neill, who died from motor neurone disease four years ago.

“I am doing the walk to raise funds for MND Scotland,” said Eileen, 54, of Rose Street.

“My wee mum sadly passed away four years ago. The way she coped with this horrible illness taught me to realise that you can do anything if you try really hard and put your mind to it.

“She taught me that if you give a girl the right pair of shoes, she can do anything. In my case, it was walking boots!

“I have scrambled up Munros on my knees and done ridge walks on my bottom – not the conventional way to climb hills.

“It used to take mum two hours to get washed and dressed.

“She came down those stairs on her bottom and climbed them on her knee. She was the most courageous woman I ever met.”

Eileen left her home in Dunfermline on Friday and will not see her own bed for almost three weeks.

Her epic journey starts in in Drymen for the Rob Roy Way. Then she will begin the first 77-mile leg of her journey, passing through Aberfoyle, Callander, Killin and into Pitlochry.

The next leg starts off in Milngavie, where Eileen will hike 96 miles across the West Highland Way, taking in Rannoch Moor, climbing the infamous Devil’s Staircase before ending up in Fort William.

The last stretch takes in the 73 miles of the Great Glen Way, along the Caledonian Canal and up to Inverness.

“Throughout this 250-mile walk I will be mostly ‘wild’ camping, which means camping anywhere that I can get a bit of flat ground – commonly known as roughing it!” said Eileen.

“This will enable me to walk any distance each day while carrying all my essentials in my lovely pink backpack, which weighs a ton.

“The first thing on my list was midge repellent as those wee monsters get everywhere.”

Eileen has given herself three weeks to complete the walk, allowing for days when her feet might need a rest.

But she is determined to complete the challenge for her mum and for herself.

“It’s an epic thing for me,” she added. “It’s a huge big adventure.”

To help Eileen’s fundraising efforts for MND Scotland you can visit justgiving.com/Eileen-Paterson to make a donation.