On Tuesday, Dr Graham Bryce will blow out the candles on his 70th birthday cake.
On Wednesday, he’ll get on his bike and cycle to Palestine.
The retired consultant child psychiatrist and his wife Anne will set off on a 3,000 mile journey to the Middle East, to the land which has been a key part of their life together.
Leaving from Glasgow’s George Square, the pair, who live in Kirkcudbright in the Dumfries and Galloway, will spend 10 weeks cycling through Europe, returning to the war-torn territory which played a part in them getting together.
Ms Bryce volunteered as a nurse in East Jerusalem for two years in the late 1970s. Her time in Palestine left her with an enduring affection for the people and their culture.
“We met just after Anne got back,” said Dr Bryce. “I met her at a friend’s house, and she was absolutely on fire about her time in Palestine, and the people. I was aware of it, but not nearly so informed as she was. When we got together it became a big part of our life from that point on.”
In the years since, the pair have returned numerous times, and have spent years fundraising for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), staging gigs at the city’s Glad Cafe and busking with friends in Glasgow city centre.
In recent years, Dr Bryce helped develop a post-graduate training programme for psychologists in support of a children’s mental health clinic in Bethlehem.
In 2015 the pair took part in taking part in MAP’s Cycle Palestine charity distance cycle across the West Bank, pedalling from Nablus in the north to Hebron in the south, finishing in Jerusalem.
The friendships the husband and wife forged led to Dr Bryce bringing his band, The Hallenshankers, to perform at the Bet Lahem Live music festival in 2016.
The Bryces had originally planned to hit the road last September, before the Israeli-Palestine conflict began following the Hamas attacks on 7 October last year.
Ms Bryce, who will turn 71 on the trip, said: “We would have been four weeks into our trip when things kicked off. Our friends and family were all saying you can’t do that. But I think it’s more pressing now than it was then.
“We’re committed not to being silly. We won’t go into Palestine if things haven’t changed by the time we get there later in the year. But we hope to get as close as possible.
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“The plan is to get to Jordan and cycle down to the border with Israel. Even if we can’t get in, things might change in the next few months, we can at least look to Palestine from the border.”
Dr Bryce said: “What happened to the people in Israel last October was horrific. But the question is, how do the Palestinians improve their situation? The Oslo Accord, which was supposed to solve this 30 years ago, has been serially trashed.
“The foreign office advice is not to go into the country. I can’t see us doing that if the advice is still not to go in when we get there, just in terms of what we feel we owe to our family and our friends.”
The pair will travel to Ireland by ferry, cycling to Wexford before joining the European mainland in France by boat. International response has forced them to make changes to their original travel plans.
Dr Bryce, who has overcome cancer and a heart operation to prepare for the challenge, said: “When we were planning our current route it was around the time that Ireland, Spain and Norway had recognised Palestine as a state.
“So Anne had the idea that we could go through Ireland. That felt good, to be going through a place where there is a lot of support. “
Ms Bryce, who went on to work as a health promotion officer after her time as a frontline nurse, added: “Being public in support for Palestine upsets some people. We have chosen not to go through Germany because of its support for Israel. It’s anti-Palestinian protest, and for us to cycle through there with our Palestinian flags flying didn’t feel right.
“The situation is so bad, and the news around the Palestinian people is so negative, I am fully committed to them. They’re the kindest, most generous, peace loving people we know. It feels so grossly unfair and unjust to me what is happening there and how it is being portrayed.
“And having small grandchildren ourselves, it’s also about remembering the 20,000 children who have been killed in Gaza in the last 10 months. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.”
The pair will cycle with minimal kit, stopping each night in hostels and Airbnbs, and using the Warm Showers cycling online community accommodation network. They hope to arrive in Jordan by mid-November.
“We’ve been preoccupied with what is happening in Gaza and what we could do about it. We want to fundraise, but also to present a story to people about what is happening in Palestine,” said Dr Bryce.
“Anyone I’ve met who goes to Palestine tells you the same thing - once you’ve been there, nothing is ever the same.”
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