A group of former commandos are yomping across Scotland on Tuesday to raise £200,000 for wounded marines.
The ex-Royal Marines are hiking 210 miles carrying 30lbs of equipment from RM Condor base near Arbroath, Angus, to the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge.
Former Royal Marine Mark Gordon, 37, has enlisted eleven veterans to help raise cash for the Royal Marines Benevolent Fund, and to boost morale for men still fighting in Afghanistan.
The cash will help support physically and psychologically wounded Royal Marines who have suffered injuries on operations since 2000.
Mr Gordon, a serving marine for 12 years, said: "While the Royal Marines are a relatively modest group, it makes an unparalleled and disproportionate contribution to the defence of the United Kingdom, and the impact on them and their families can be quite horrendous.
"I was at RM Condor recently and was shocked to see the amount of injured guys - walking around on crutches or with prosthetic limbs.
"We wanted to do something specifically for the Royal Marines and to demonstrate our support for our mates who are still serving. There's a saying we have that 'once a marine, always a marine', and this is to show that we're thinking of them and are behind them all the way.
The 'Bootneck Yomp' started at RM Condor at 9am - with the veterans heading for the Glen Clova Hotel, passing through Forfar and Kirriemuir on the way. After that, they travel via Pitlochry, Killin, and Kingshouse, before their due arrival at Spean Bridge on Saturday.
Mr Gordon said that while the participants are all still "relatively fit", he is aware of the massive challenges that lie ahead.
He said: "Even serving marines would find taxing. We'll average about 40 miles a day over all sorts of terrain and ensure that we have around 30lbs of kit on us at all times, which is about the same as marines have in full training."
