Rent - a - pilgrim

Help is at hand for any Roman Catholics who have vowed to make the pilgrimage to Fatima in Portugal, which is famous for religious visions, but cannot fulfill their promise - rent-a-pilgrim.

For 2,500 euros ($A4,114), Pilgrim Gil will make the journey in your place and send you a certificate stamped along the way to prove he walked your every step.

Carlos Gil, 42, who owns a small computer company, took up the practice four years ago when he suddenly "felt an urge to walk to Fatima" and said charging each client was simply a way to keep doing what he loves.

"I make the trip to Fatima once or twice a year because it elevates my spirit," he said.

"Sometimes the trip is so intense that I forget I'm doing it to fulfill my client's promises."

Like a true pilgrim, Mr Gil begins his seven-day journey to Fatima on foot from his home in Cascais, a small town on the outskirts of Lisbon, about 160 kilometres from the shrine.

It takes him another six days to walk back.