A modern-day odyssey

Gibraltarian Mark Randall makes a strenuous pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

By ARIEL DOMINIQUE HENDELMAN
A post-pilgrimage Mark Randall in Jerusalem, flanked by Mayor Nir Barkat and city councilwoman and fellow Gibraltarian Fleur Hassan-Nahoum (photo credit: FLEUR HASSAN-NAHOUM)
A post-pilgrimage Mark Randall in Jerusalem, flanked by Mayor Nir Barkat and city councilwoman and fellow Gibraltarian Fleur Hassan-Nahoum
(photo credit: FLEUR HASSAN-NAHOUM)
A pilgrimage is defined as a religious expedition, or holy journey, to a sacred place as an act of devotion. Mark Randall, a 54-year-old man with shining eyes and down-to-earth humility that is as genuine as it is charming, recently completed a pilgrimage of his own from his hometown of Gibraltar to Jerusalem, a Homeric journey spanning over 7,000 kilometers and 250 days.
“This was not my first pilgrimage,” Randall says. “I retired from service in the Royal Gibraltar Regiment of the British Army seven years ago. After that, due to a damaged back and a couple of herniated disks, the doctors told me to walk. They said if I walked, I would always feel better.”
Randall took his doctors’ advice to heart, and walk he did. He completed the pilgrimage of St. James 12 times, sometimes for as long as 1,000 kilometers. His daughter accompanied him on three of those expeditions. Last year, he walked from Cardiff, the capital of Wales, to Gibraltar, covering 2,200 kilometers in 75 days. In the process, he raised about £20,000 for charity, between that walk and a book he wrote with one of his sons called Walk to the Rock.
After all of these epic accomplishments, Randall longed to connect the points from Gibraltar to Santiago, Rome and Jerusalem, since those are the three most important pilgrimage points for Catholics. This burning desire became the impetus for his recent and most arduous pilgrimage.
He set out from the tip of Gibraltar, where his community and family held a small religious ceremony, represented by all the religions of Gibraltar: Jewish, Muslim, Roman Catholic and Church of England. The governor of Gibraltar was also there to give Randall an official send-off. A group of about 30 walked into Spain with him, but then he was on his own.
“I remember that day very well,” Randall recalls. “I remember casting my mind forward to the day I would finally arrive to Jerusalem, but during the way, I lost that image. When the hardships were there, they were a reality and it became really difficult to think that I was going to get there.
“There were very hard times. Solitude was first and foremost. I was alone 90% of the time. At times, for a week or so, friends would join me. One walked [with me] in France, and one in Croatia. That’s the way you keep your sanity.
“It’s also very hard on the feet: you blister, your muscles ache, there is tendinitis, and constant pain. Everything hurt. I could stop for two or three days to rest somewhere, but that cost time and money. It also encourages you to become complacent, so you’ve got to keep on pushing the jelly uphill. That’s the way the military says it. You’ve got to keep on going, even though it’s hard.”
Randall’s route was done in stages. From Gibraltar, he walked to Seville, and then followed what is known as the Silver Route, which is an ancient Roman route. When he arrived in Santiago, he visited the tomb of St. James in the crypt of a cathedral, and then walked the traditional Roman route into France, all the way through the Pyrenees to the Aragonese Way. Randall then followed the Way of St. James in France.
He eventually reached Rome, where he met the pope, who blessed him and gave him a rosary.
“My faith has been in doubt for a number of years,” Randall shares. “I believe in a higher power, in God. I believe we all have the same God. I truly believe in the good in people and that the bad is what we need to push out. I don’t know if I found religion completely on the route; only time will tell. But I really believe in the goodness of people. The pope brought that out. So it was difficult to leave Rome. My family had also come for the reception.”
Randall left Rome and walked the Way of St. Francis, and then on to the Way of St. Anthony in Venice. He continued to Slovenia and Croatia. As he puts it, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“There were times when I doubted the whole thing,” he says. “I doubted my sanity and thought I would have to give up. By the time I got to Dubrovnik in Croatia, I knew I couldn’t walk anymore.
So it was either give up, or carry on cycling. In great pain and sadness, I cycled the last 1,300 kilometers.”
Randall cycled with a heavy heart from Croatia to Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, and finally into Greece. He could have gone through Turkey but ultimately decided not to go that route, fearing for his safety.
While in Greece, Randall ascended Mount Olympus in Athens.
He then flew to Cyprus to spend a few days with his brother-in-law and take in some much needed rest. Randall flew to Tel Aviv and walked, at long last, from there to Jerusalem in two-and-a-half days.
He followed the Israel Trail.
“Everyone stops to ask if you need food or water,” Randall says. “I found a bit of that everywhere, but not as much as here in Israel.”
He stayed with a few families along the Israel Trail, who are aptly called trail angels.
Randall points out that the traditional route was to walk through southern Italy and then to sail to Israel, perhaps making a stop in Cyprus. Even though he was advised to do that, he wanted his pilgrimage to be on foot, as much as possible.
When Randall reached the finish line in Jerusalem, he was greeted by family, friends and supporters, including city councilwoman and fellow Gibraltarian Fleur Hassan-Nahoum. She heard about Randall’s journey on Facebook from her sister, who is a member of parliament in Gibraltar.
“She told me that he felt a strong sense of solidarity with Israel and that that was why he was walking to Jerusalem,” Hassan-Nahoum relates. “From one end of the Mediterranean to the other – it’s quite an achievement. There is a lot in common between Gibraltar and Jerusalem, a similar Mediterranean mentality. I wanted to do whatever I could to receive him with open arms. He did it all for charity. I’m very proud to come from Gibraltar and to represent Jerusalem and the shared values between the two places.”
“Anyone can do this. All you have to do is take the first step, believe in yourself and carry on going,” Randall says. “The way is not just about walking; it’s the way of your life. What do you want to achieve?”