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Nov 27 - “On Ancient Trails” - Mark Randall’s Latest Book Tells The Tale Of His Walk To Jerusalem

In April 2016 Mark Randall set off from Europa Point Gibraltar on a pilgrimage which was to last 254 days and take him across twelve countries on a 7,450 kilometre journey to Jerusalem and the heart of Christianity.

On Ancient Trails is a written account of his odyssey through a large swathe of the Roman Empire, Saint’s trails, and Crusader routes. It is a story of human endeavour in the face of hardship, of changing landscape, walking through the seasons, and a voyage of self-discovery.

In his fascinating account Randall re-tells of his encounter with His Holiness Pope Francis, the people he met, and friends he made along the way.

Randall walks the Way of the Sword – where one faces his demons and comes to terms with his fears, the Way of the Heart – where pilgrims seek divine love, and the Way of the Soul – where one must search deep within for meaning to our existence.

“Being for so long on my own was extremely hard,” Mark says.

Walking across inundated country-side and over mountains, he finds himself close to Nice on that dreaded Bastille Day terrorist attack. In Italy he feels the impact of the 6.2 magnitude earthquake which shakes the country and in Croatia fears for his life as he is close to getting run over by a bus. In the Balkans he is chased by vicious dogs many times and in Israel he walks too close to an active artillery range.

“I prayed at the tomb of St James in Spain and Mary Magdalene in France. In Rome I knelt at St Peter’s, found my way to the resting place of St Francis in Assisi and later St Anthony in Padua. In Greece I went up Mount Olympus the abode of the Ancient Gods and at Delphi I consulted the Oracle. Finally in Jerusalem I worshipped by the Western Wall, on Temple Mount at the Dome of the Rock and in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by the tomb of Jesus Christ,” he explained.

Mark would like to thank the Gibunco Group, the Gibraltar International Bank and Addison Global Limited for sponsoring the book.

A limited hard-cover charity edition has been printed. The book is packed with colour photographs, is easy to read and is a large coffee table-style book. It will be on sale for £20 at the Convent Christmas Fair on Thursday 30th November.

The books are also available at St John House at 47 North Mole, Waterport from midday to 2 pm.

All proceeds from the limited Charity Edition will go to charity.

Over two-thirds of the available books have already been sold, so if you wish to reserve a copy get in touch with Mark through Facebook or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A paperback version of the book will also be available on Amazon soon but will most likely be more expensive.


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