Avebury Henge - England's Other, Older Stone Circle

Avebury in Wiltshire County is home to Europe's oldest known stone circle, older than even the better-known Stonehenge.

 

The Avebury stone circle is classified as a World Heritage Site and we started here for a 7-mile hike up the Marlborough Downs. (Up the Downs. Still funny.) 

 From one of the markers:  "Henges are intriguing monuments built in the British Isles between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago . . . Avebury is one of the biggest and contains the remains of the largest prehistoric circle in the world."

Two of the Seven Main Barrows (burial mounds) in Avebury

 

It also holds some kind of ethereal power  over some people during the summer and winter solstices. Visitors are advised to arrive early on those days as it will be packed with people.  (We actually drove through here on June 21 with some friends, and it was indeed well visited.)

In addition to the stones, there are also barrows or burial mounds from the Neolithic era within walking distance.

 

 

And there's Silbury Hill, the tallest manmade hill in Europe. It apparently contains no known artifacts and experts still speculate what it was used for: religious ceremony, memorial, etc. Still, interesting that a people would spend the time building it.

Silbury Hill, the largest manmade hill in Europe dates back to about 2,400 BC.

Another view of the Avebury Henge Stone Circle

Our hike, although surprisingly hot, was not nearly as rough as last weekend's and consisted mostly of gentle slopes:

 

Lovely vistas:

 

The occasional biker or two:

 

 

Ripening wheat fields:

 

 

 

And of course, a quaint village and even quainter thatched cottage:



Then it was back to the stone circle:

Driving east toward home, we stopped in the old market town of Marlborough for a late lunch and well-earned half pint. Marlborough is roughly the half-way point on the old coaching route between  Bristol and London. The market still thrives on Saturdays.


The Saturday Market in the old market town of Marlborough.

Sign in front of the Castle & Ball Hotel. An inn has stood in this spot for 500 years and some of its original timbers date back to the Spanish Armada. (I appreciate it would've been more helpful if I'd taken a picture of the hotel itself, but that didn't happen. I blame the half pint.)