Walking to Jerusalem : Blisters, hope and other facts on the ground

In 2017, three important anniversaries converged for the Palestinian people: 100 years since the Balfour Declaration, 50 years since the Six-day War, and ten years since the Blockade of Gaza. As an act of penance, solidarity and hope, actor and musician Justin Butcher walked from London to Jerusalem, accompanied by ten companions for the full route and another hundred who joined for various stretches along the way.

This book is the record of his extraordinary journey: a combination of walking journal, travel writing and pilgrim stories. It's less of a travel guide to walking across Europe and more an exploration of the many strands radiating from the Holy Land and its narrative, weaving paths across place and history, through the lives of Justin's fellow-walkers—and, of course, his own life.

Between the route itinerary and the themes of Balfour and Christian Zionism, Weizmann and cordite, colonialism, Jerusalem Syndrome and Desert spirituality, Justin charts a chronicle of serendipity: happenstances hilarious, infuriating and occasionally numinous—or, as pilgrims might say, encounters with the Divine.