Residents of Kington, in Herefordshire’s border country, have their own hill – just the thing for a leg stretch on a fine Sunday afternoon – which it was, though the morning’s mist had only just cleared as we set off from the car. I have to admit that we (and several others) cheated, by parking near the top of Ridgebourne Road, saving a mile at either end of the walk. Put that another way – it’s an extra mile on the hill…

Music lovers of a certain age will, of course, associate Hergest Ridge (yes, it’s the same one) with Mike Oldfield, of Tubular Bells and Virgin Records fame. Released in 1973, It was Virgin’s first album, and a huge success. Who would be running our trains today, if it hadn’t been for Tubular Bells?