That’s me in 2003 on Hergest Ridge, just on the England side of the England/Wales border. This is my favorite spot on the planet. It was a glorious day despite my falling into some nettles: my family was with me, we saw wild ponies, the pub in Wales was open, and we were deliciously tired after our hike there and back. I’m sitting on a bench just below the summit of the ridge, on my way back down, mourning the descent but still elated.

I came to Hergest Ridge because two of my favorite albums are associated with it: Mike Oldfield’s Hergest Ridge (that’s the Ridge on the cover) and Ommadawn, which was recorded in a small studio just at the base of the Ridge.

Photo credit: the astonishing Alice Campbell.