This is the Cheltenham Badlands. 450 million years ago, this area was the bottom of an ancient sea. With tectonic shifts through the ages, it rose above the surface and dried out, forming the soil, nurturing the forests.

And then, during the last two centuries, the land was cleared by European settlers in order to grow crops. Now the shallow topsoil began to be eroded by rain, melting snow, and cycles of freezing and thaw, exposing the shale below.

In time, the farmers abandoned the site, leaving the forest to regenerate wherever there was sufficient top soil. And where there wasn’t, this unique landscape of ridges and gullies remained visible.

Seen from above, some of the rock patterns suggest human characteristics. here you could imagine a sculpture of the outstretched legs of vacationers lying on a sandy beach.

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