DULOCH Spiderman is getting ready to sling his webs in Kathmandu.

Dave Roper – who doubles as a fundraising Duloch Spiderman in Dunfermline – is gearing up for his Everest Base Camp Challenge, which will kick off on Saturday, April 29.

With just over one week left before he flies to Nepal, he can barely contain his excitement.

He told the Press: "I'm just clock watching! I'm working right up until the day before I go, so I'm really busy during the day, which is probably a good thing because it stops me thinking about it so much, but yeah, I can't wait.

Dunfermline Press: Duloch Spiderman Dave Roper and his dad Kevin are preparing to trek to Everest Base Camp in their latest fundraising challenge.Duloch Spiderman Dave Roper and his dad Kevin are preparing to trek to Everest Base Camp in their latest fundraising challenge. (Image: Contributed)

"It's really exciting. It's been booked since June last year, so it feels like it’s been forever coming, but now that we're a week and a half away it suddenly feels really real."

Dave and his dad, Kevin Roper, will be completing the 11-day intense trek. The pair will start with a one day walk from Lukla to Phakding before they make their way to an altitude of 17,600ft or 5,389m at Everest Basecamp.

Along the way they will be trekking through Namche Bazzar, Tengboche, Dingboche and Lobuche before heading back down through Gorakshep, Kalapathar, Pherichie, Namche and back to Lukla.

"Over the last three years, since lockdown, I've been doing the Spiderman gig," he said. "I've taken on various challenges in the last three years, and they just seem to get bigger and better and more extreme. This is just topping it off.”

The money raised from the challenge will go to the Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity. He is hoping to raise a total of £5,000, of which £1,000 will go towards the cost of kit, visas and international flights. So far, he has raised just under £4,000.

He added: "I was hoping to be around the £4,000 mark before I left, and my intention is to post some updates when I'm out there and I'm hoping that will pick the fundraising up as well.

"When I get back, I'm going to continue doing birthday visits and the usual stuff I do to keep the fundraising going until I hit the £5,000 mark."

Dave is so excited to get started, but he is going to miss his two kids. From the time he leaves to the time he gets back; the whole trip is going to take 17 days.

"I've never been away from my kids for this length of time, when I did Kilimanjaro back in 2016 my kids were two and three and that was just over a week, so this one is two and a half times that, so I think mentally that will be quite challenging, just not being with them every day.

"But as far as being in the outdoors all day every day for 17 days, I cannot wait!"

For anyone wishing to donate to Dave and his dad's cause, visit their GoFundMe page.

Dave added: "I know times are hard, they've been hard over the last three years, but now more than ever. I am just so grateful for the support I've had over the last three years, especially now that COVID has finished and people are going back to their day jobs, the cost of living and everything else that's going on. Thank you, thank you so much."