Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles

The above panoramic photo shows Avebury henge

Stonehenge

Well, I think there is not that much I need to say about the well-known Stonehenge site. Basically it is one of the worlds and certainly UK's most famous prehistoric site. Archaeologists assume that the stones were erected some 4,500 to 4,000 years ago, although parts of the site are actually even older than that.

English Heritage has done quite a bit to keep the stones untouched for the next couple of thousands years. To start with, the whole site is ring-fenced and once you're in the site you'd better stay on the footpath and do not attempt to get any closer to the stones. However, due to the whole fuss with fences and barriers and the high number of visitors the site lacks some atmosphere. I guess it must be a good idea to visit this place on an early winter morning with no one else around.

Still, it is interesting to get an audio guide and listen to the history and function of Stonehenge; enjoying the change in perspective as you wander around the stones.

Those who are interested in some more, real 'hands-on' prehistoric stones should go to the Avebury stone circle.

Avebury

Avebury is the largest stone circle in the world. The impressive site consists of a large henge and several stone circles. It is quite big and one of the finest Neolithic monuments in Europe dating to around 2800 BC. This makes it actually older than Stonehenge which is located some 30km away.

The surviving structure includes massive earthworks known as dykes. There is a massive ditch and a henge with a diameter of more than 400m. Within this henge there are several stone circles, the biggest one had a diameter of more than 300m and once consisted of nearly 100 megaliths. The stones, each weighing about 40 tons or more, were left rough and not dressed as were the Stonehenge blocks. Now there are only 27 in place, because a few hundred years ago many of the stones were broken up and used to construct the present village of Avebury. Still, the remaining and re-erected stones offer an impressive sight.

Originally there were two ceremonial stone avenues departing from the main ring, lined with megaliths. Only one survives, the West Kennet Avenue. It was originally more than 2 in length and connected Avebury to another, smaller stone circle called The Sanctuary. Two other interesting sites can be found nearby: West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill, 39m high and the largest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe.

More information on Avebury can be found here

The White Horse Hillfigure is located between Swindon and Oxford, close to the small village of Uffington. It is more than 100 metres long and shows - well, actually a stylised horse, but I could only recognise it as such from a distance.

Having arrived at the bottom of the hill I could see only some white lines and patches. Both grass and turf have been cut away and the underlying white chalk is visible. Climbing the steep hill I stood in front of several white lines which form the horse hillfigure. The lines were either wide or narrow as well as long or short and did not look like anything close to a horse from just a few metres distance. Actually the best way to see the horse must be from the air. The horse figure might date back as early as the Bronze Age and forms part of the UN cultural heritage.

The view from the hill on the surrounding flat landscape was a rather nice one. Glaciers have formed the hill itself during the last ice age. I was quite impressed by the deep cirque just beneath the hillfigure. Arriving at the top of the hill I could also see the remains of what was an Iron Age hill fort.

Nearby, a part of the Ridgeway - actually Britain's oldest road, in use since Neolithic times - lead me to Wayland’s Smithy. This is a long barrow roughly one mile away from the hillfigure. Originally built some 5,000 years ago the mound was enlarged later, during Neolithic times. This was also when the sarsen stones were placed in front of the barrow. These stones are still visible today.

Although not very well known, the White Horse Hill with its hillfigure, the remain of the fort, the long barrow and last but not least the very good views around the countryside make it an attractive destination to visit.

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