An intrepid Musselburgh cyclist is en route to the Italian capital of Rome to raise funds for Alzheimer Scotland – Action On Dementia as a tribute to his late granddad.

Fraser Reid, 31, a former Musselburgh Grammar School pupil, is expected to reach his destination tomorrow (Friday), bringing a mammoth journey of more than 30 days and 1,600 miles to an end.

His granddad, Robert Aitken Black, from Newtongrange, passed away last year from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 86.

Fraser, an electrician, was keen to support the charity and, being new to cycling, chose a sporting challenge he was not familiar with.

He left his home in Agnew Walk, in the Pinkie area of Musselburgh, for his solocycle, which has taken him through Scotland, England, The Netherlands and Germany, camping along the way.

His route took him from Musselburgh to Newcastle, before boarding a ferry to Amsterdam. He cycled through The Netherlands and into Germany via Düsseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, Mainz and Munich, where he caught a train to Verona, which took him over the Austrian alps.

Since reaching Italy he has cycled to Bologna, Florence and Siena.

So far he has raised nearly £2,000 for the charity.

Fraser’s girlfriend, Jenna McDonald, said: “He was feeling excited about the cycle but also nervous as he knew it was going to be a huge cycle.

“He has definitely found it very difficult at times but has persevered through some torrential rain downpours in Italy so far.

“He is pretty new to cycling but is a very active person, having run half marathons in the past.

“He wanted to challenge himself by trying a sport he wasn’t as familiar with. Before he left, his training had been mainly in East Lothian and Edinburgh.

“He took many cycles down the coast to North Berwick and back up round to Arthur’s Seat.”

There are more than 90,000 people in Scotland living with a diagnosis of dementia.

Money raised for the charity will help families affected by dementia access vital services.

Anyone who would like to donate to Fraser’s challenge can go to gofund.me/5e0350fb