Matthew Gardner, a Llanigon resident, is taking on an extraordinary journey to walk the length of the UK along the ‘spine of Albion,’ an ancient leyline connecting sacred sites and energy portals.

The 37-year-old Australian has lived in Llanigon near Hay-on-Wye for the past five years and will begin the walk on the day of his 38th birthday – Friday, January 31.

Beginning on the Isle of Wight, Matthew’s path will take him through the heart of England and Scotland, ending in Durness.

Since arriving in the UK, Matthew has been on a journey connecting to his ancestral lands. He has Welsh, English, Scottish and Irish heritage.

He told the Brecon & Radnor Express about his journey and the reasons for his next adventure: “I feel like we live in a time where we are remembering our story in someways or reclaiming who we are as a people. The identity of the western world is almost at a moment of remaking right now.

“The last hundred years there’s been lots of technology developed, and we’ve grown so much and evolved so much but in some ways, it has been at the cost of really healthy social dynamics..

“Even though I wasn’t born in the UK, I still feel a deep relationship with this place because all of my ancestors came from here. In the past five years it feels like I’ve sort of come here to return home in some ways.

“As part of this process of reclaiming culture at a personal level, one of the important things is to reclaim our relationship with the land and to almost become a part of the story of the place.

“It doesn’t make sense and it’s not really logical, but I heard this inner calling that came out of the blue a couple of years ago that I had to walk the spine.

“I’ve been in a really big health crisis in the last year or so but in the middle of it all I got the message that it’s just time, I had this message that was like ‘you have to do this now.’

“It doesn’t make sense, it’s not logical but I have to do it.”

Along the way, Matthew aims to call upon communities and people who want to play a deeper role in the world.

He went on to say: “Some people are Mat masseuses and they massage human bodies and other people massage whole regions and in some ways this is a massage or an activation of the whole region as I move up the spine, calling communities together, calling emerging leaders forward to have the big conversations.

Matthew said the walk isn’t about completing the distance set but it’s about the spine. He added: “This feels like a transitionary point and part of a rite of passage, not just for myself but to play a role within the community.”

Matthew will be posting regular updates on his YouTube channel. If you would like to support Matthew on his journey, please go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/matthew-walks-the-spine