"British Heritage Stone Circle" Top 5 Page for this destination Avebury Things to Do Tip by grandmaR

The reason for visiting the tiny village of Avebury is to see the stones. My daughter and grandson really like this place better than Stonehenge because you can get up close and personal with the stones. I found Stonehenge easier to see myself because it was difficult for me to walk far on uneven surfaces.

The story goes that while returning from a day's hunting one winter's evening in 1648, John Aubrey had an epiphany - the earthworks and stones in Avebury were an ancient Druid temple.

William Stukeley in the early 18th century saw the distressing destruction of numerous stones by farmers intent on clearing the land for fields. In 1743, he published "Abury, a Temple of the British Druids". This book mapped all the stones surviving at that time.

The Avebury complex covers about 28 acres partially overlapped by the village and dates to around 2500 BC. There is a huge circular earthwork ditch, originally about 30 feet deep, and bank about a quarter of a mile in diameter which encloses an outer circle of standing stones. Within this outer circle are two inner circles, both about 340 feet in diameter. The northern inner circle only has a few stones remaining.

Avebury is particularly busy at the summer solstice. Regular bus services operate to Avebury from Swindon, Marlborough and Salisbury

From the NT (I think at the museum) you can get a "Walking around Avebury" guide which features six local walks; from property or NT Wessex office (£2.50 plus 50p p&p)

Directions: On the Marlborough Downs 24 miles north of Stonehenge. Leave the M4 at the Swindon junction 15 - follow signs to Marlborough. Alternatively, follow the A4361 south from Swindon through Wroughton village to Avebury
othercontact: 01225.862482 (guides)
Phone: 01672.539425 (lodgings)
Website: http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scripts/nthandbook.dll?ACTION=PROPERTY&PROPERTYID=316