If you have ever considered, or perhaps even completed a walking pilgrimage (called a Camino), you will enjoy Walk to the Rock by Mark Randall and Matthew Randall. Mark Randall walked for 75 days from Cardiff to Gibraltar for charity. One of the most significant lessons he imparts is the importance of support, whether it is from his spouse, his adult children, or all the ranks of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment. This retired military man shares the challenges and the joys of his journey in detailed daily accounts. The reader can easily feel the pain of another foot blister, the heat of a hot sunny day, or the fear of failure. The reader also shares the joys of meeting fellow walkers from other countries, or a cool shower under field irrigation lines.

While most of the book is composed of the daily accounts, there is a second tale to be told. The Story of Sandals-Gray and the Ark of Cardiff describe a similar journey, with some fantastical twists and turns – not to be missed! Mark Randall and Matthew Randall are excellent storytellers; it is an adventure to be part of the journey in Walk to the Rock. The maps and photographs add a realistic dimension, especially for those readers who may not be familiar with the countries where Mark hiked. Some historical tidbits also add to a deeper understanding of his experience. In the same way, the emotional challenges for both Mark and other pilgrims along the route are well-described. A delightful read!

Walk to the Rock is a travel memoir written by Mark Randall and his son, Matthew Randall. Mark embarked on a 75-day-long walking tour that began in Cardiff, Wales, traveled through England and Spain, and ended up at Gibraltar. While he had previously participated in a number of Caminos, including the most well known, the Camino de Santiago or the Way of Saint James, this trip was to be something different. His memoir, similarly, would be a bit different, as he was penning both his day-to-day diary and the more fanciful yarn of Sandals-Grey and the Ark of Cardiff. Mark had reluctantly accepted a medical discharge after 26 years of military service. He had a 30% disability due to back injuries received during his service, and he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. When he was planning this walk, he opted to make it a walk for charity, raising funds for the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Benevolent Fund and Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation Open Day. He formed a committee to help with fundraising and publicity, and he focused his full attention on the challenges at hand.

Mark Randall and Matthew Randall's travel memoir, Walk to the Rock, is a fascinating and well-written account of Mark Randall's experiences during his 2015 Cardiff to Gibraltar Charity Walk. The author makes his readers privy to just about everything one would expect to encounter on their own Camino, including the vicissitudes of weather, long idyllic stretches of pasture lands and woodlands, and the inevitable stretches of urban dreariness and traffic that is characteristic of so many cities and towns. Mark's nature writing is inspired -- I loved vicariously hill climbing and seeing what lay beyond the next turn in the road, and, as a fellow hiking enthusiast, I could well understand his bemusement at, and difficulty in accepting, having arrived at his destination, that the walk was indeed over, a feeling, as a reader, I shared along with him.

There was so much to experience along the way; the fellow pilgrims and hikers, the cafes, the occasional companionship of his family and friends, the walk itself and all it encompassed. Despite the blisters, chilly downpours and blazing heat, I wished throughout my reading experience that I had actually been along for the hike, and, in a way, I guess I was. Knowing that Mark will be continuing his search for hikes to new, untraveled and even familiar places, I'm hoping that he’ll be sharing a glimpse of those experiences in future memoirs. This one, Walk to the Rock, is most highly recommended.

In an interesting and inspiring account of the true events of one man's amazing journey, Walk to the Rock by debut author team Mark and Matthew Randall, readers will be treated to the trials and tribulations of a true life adventure. The story of author Mark Randall's 2200 km, 75-day trek all the way from Cardiff to the Rock of Gibraltar, done for a charity close to his heart, is both exciting and uplifting at the same time. The story includes day by day accounts of Mark's experiences, everything that went wrong, and everything that went right. Readers will be hooked from the very start of the book and will not be able to stop reading until the very end, the story is simply that engaging.

I very much enjoyed Walk to the Rock. Author Mark Randall is an inspiration to all, and his bravery at setting off on this journey with only his sandals and one pair of underpants, especially for a man who had suffered a terrible spinal injury that caused him to retire from his 26 years in the Army, is just fantastic. This book is well written, and the diary style entries are perfect for this type of memoir. I am pleased to recommend Walk to the Rock to any reader looking for a highly entertaining real life story that includes travel, adventure and just plain stick-to-itiveness. I certainly hope that authors Mark and Matthew Randall will team up again on another writing adventure, and look forward to see what they might come up with next!