On the road to Bethlehem for John and his fellow pedallers was Nabi Musa, a Muslim shrine in the desert, reputed to be the burial place of Moses.
Then in baking heat they cycled another 13km into the heart of the desolate and beautiful scenery, before starting a 10km trek across the desert.
John said: “This was tough going, as there was of course no shade en route.
“Somewhat surprisingly, I found myself setting the pace, along with Annie, the 70-year-old woman who didn’t like cycling but loved walking.
“Annie and I found ourselves at the top of a hill looking down on the others, a line of red MAP cycling tops crawling slowly up through the heat haze.
“We headed to Mar Saba, a spectacular ancient monastery, founded in 483 AD, clinging to the side of a hillside above the Kidron Valley, a name familiar to anyone who has read the Gospels, as the Garden of Gethsemane was situated in the valley outside Jerusalem.
“We stood on one side of the valley and gazed at the beautiful collection of buildings on the other side.
“Descending to the valley floor, we crossed the river and then climbed hundreds of steps on the other aside.
“Our guide Nidal told us that the river was now largely untreated sewage, carried from Jerusalem into the heart of Palestinian land.
“The smell from the river confirmed this and plastic rubbish was strewn all around the stairs to the monastery.
“The contrast between the beauty of the land and its ancient buildings and this scandalous abuse of the environment was hard to take. When we got to the monastery, we sat and ate lunch outside as no women are permitted inside the buildings.
“Then it was back on the bikes for the final stage of the day to Bethlehem.”
Bethlehem, only six miles from Jerusalem, was historically an Arab Christian town, though it has a Muslim majority today.
John said: “It is encircled by Israeli settlements and the West Bank Wall, separating these communities from their lands and seeing many, especially Christians, gradually leaving the city.
“This massive, looming grey wall separates Bethlehem from its sister city, Jerusalem.
“On arrival we went straight to the Shepherds’ Field and the Church of the Nativity, both of which I had been looking forward to seeing, but I was disappointed in them.
“They were both crowded with groups of tourists from all over the world, many of them singing Christmas songs, and the whole experience felt like tourist exploitation.
“Simon and Nidal pointed out their nearby home town of Beit Sahour and the Israeli settlement built on the site of a forest.
“As a child, Nidal told us, every year he would go and pick a Christmas tree from that forest.
“Today it is one of 37 settlements round Bethlehem, containing one quarter of all the settlers in the West Bank.
“It is strictly off limits to him and his family.”
In Bethlehem John visited the Al-Rowwad Cultural Centre in the Aida Refugee camp established in 1948.
John said: “They use theatre, music, dance and other cultural activities to try to offer Palestinian refugees hope in the midst of the despair around them.
“That night, dinner was provided by Al-Rowwad with entertainment by a group of young dabke dancers.
“This traditional Palestinian dance is performed by both men and women and of course we had a go.
“Our clumsy dancing at least helped me better understand how visitors to Scotland feel when we ask them to do a simple Dashing White Sergeant or Eightsome Reel at a ceilidh!”
Next day the destination was Hebron, a hotly-contested town simmering with tension, 19 miles south of Jerusalem.
The city was divided into two areas in 1997, H1 and H2.
John said: “H1, containing 150,000 Palestinians, is under the exclusive control of the Palestinian Authority.
“H2, containing the Old City and 40,000 Palestinians, along with 700 to 800 Jewish settlers, is under the control of the Israeli military.
“The Old City is the scene of ongoing conflict as Israel sees Hebron as essentially a Jewish city.
“A complex network of routes and barriers are designed to prevent Palestinians from freely moving around.
“From our host’s house we walked up the Shuhada St – a once thriving market that had served the whole Hebron region.
“Now, 304 shop fronts and warehouses have been welded shut by the Israeli military and the street is deserted.”
“An eerie silence hung everywhere and an Israeli soldier stood guard at one end of the street where our guides and hosts had to stop and let us go through the checkpoint.
“We were taken to the Al-Ibrahimi mosque in central Hebron – which is built on the site of the Tomb of the Patriarchs, reputed to be where Abraham is buried.
“It was converted into a mosque in the 7th century and it remained a mosque until 1967. After the Israelis seized control of the town they split the mosque in two, converting one half into a synagogue.
“We stood on one side of the massive steel doors dividing the building, peering through cracks at the synagogue on the other side.”
Back in Bethlehem en route to Jerusalem, the party visited the famous Banksy hotel, “The Walled-Off”, right beside the Israeli dividing wall.
John said: “The hotel is filled with interesting artworks, all pointing to the cruel and unnatural nature of life in the place.
“It feels slightly unreal like you’ve gone through the looking glass.
“The rooms with the worst view – straight on to the wall – command the highest prices.
“We walked in groups through the fantastic museum, with its many audio and video presentations on every aspect of life under occupation, exiting, funnily enough, through the gift shop, which was stocked with a huge variety of books on the history and politics of Palestine.
“At Jerusalem, we queued in the hot sun with our bikes in a long line of vehicles waiting to cross the check-point.
“Armed soldiers made each one of us produce passport and visa.
“Relieved to be through a sense of excitement ran through us as we cycled through the suburbs of Jerusalem heading for the Old City.”
John’s hotel was just outside, close to the Damascus Gate leading into the Muslim Quarter.
He said: “Our guide Daoud told us that the named quarters within the Old City mean very little as there are many Christian houses in the Muslim Quarter and vice versa.
“The streets inside are crowded and narrow and lined with souvenir and food shops.
“I witnessed two fist fights, presumably arising from the underlying tension.
“Israeli troops and police are very visible.”
“We had a drink and laughed together as it began to sink in that, in the morning we would be returning to our own
realities.”
