A group of walkers of preparing to strap on their walking footwear for a walk from Edinburgh Castle to raise funds for charity.

Participants will leave the castle's esplanade and walk down the historic Royal Mile, before passing Holyrood Park and finishing at the Scottish Parliament, the Scotsman newspaper reports.

The five-mile walk has been organised by Bowel Cancer UK.

Andrew Moffatt, director of fundraising at Bowel Cancer UK, told the newspaper: "This is a fantastic opportunity to get together with your family and friends and do something amazing for both the awareness of bowel cancer and your own health.

"Regular exercise such as walking has been proven to help reduce the risk of bowel cancer, so come along and put a real spring in your step, whilst helping save lives."

Dominating Edinburgh's skyline, the castle sits atop an extinct volcano. Human settlement at the fortress has been dated back to around 900 BC.