Avebury & Silbury Hill, Wiltshire

The prehistoric complex at Avebury is one of the most important, and certainly one of the most magical, sites in Europe. Consisting of a massive henge, the construction of which was spread over several centuries, it was created by the descendants of the Windmill Hill people who had built the nearby West Kennet Long Barrow. 

Begun around 3,000 BC, the final construction was completed circa 2,400 BC when the avenues were added, comprising a bank, ditch and two stone circles within.

The outermost area was once marked by 98 large sarson stones, but only the innermost stone circles now remain. Both circles are much larger than the one at Stonehenge. Four entrances, approximately situated at the four cardinal points, show evidence of avenues; the most evident and spectacular being the West Kennet Avenue which runs from the Southern entrance.

A long-held dream of mine, I had the opportunity to visit Avebury in September 2008. The weather was suitably atmospheric with lowering clouds, the odd drop of rain and slightly misty dampness. Perfect! ;)

These gorgeous old oak trees have a massive array of overground roots.

The above photos show the chalk path on the outer embankments and below are the views from the embankments looking over part of the stone circle.

There is so much information about Avebury that I find it impossible to do anything more than just write a short summary. However, I've added a link below to an amazing website that gives a humungous load of info. As the author says, Avebury is very much a personal experience. Awe-inspiring and magical!

http://www.avebury-web.co.uk/index.html

An enigma lies approximately one mile to the South of Avebury - Silbury Hill - which at 130 feet high, is the biggest man-made mound in Europe. Several attempts, such as tunnelling, have been made to discover its purpose, but its secrets still keeps eluding us. I have read recently that square-topped mounds such as this may well have been used as a place for offerings, such as harvest produce.

A further walk of around half a mile takes us to West Kennet Long Barrow; the largest accessible example of a barrow in the country. Coming up in the next article.