Immerse yourself in Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial history at Wiltshire’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed Stonehenge and Avebury sites in England. These are the world’s most famous groups of megaliths with circles of menhirs (standing stones) arranged in a pattern with astronomical significance yet to be understood.
Under the care of English Heritage, Stonehenge and Avebury are part of the same chalkland site. Stonehenge is designated by World Heritage as the most architecturally sophisticated prehistoric stone circle in the world, while Avebury is the largest. The Avebury area also includes Silbury Hill, a prehistoric artificial chalk mound. So see Stonehenge but look beyond as well. The city of Salisbury makes a good base for exploring, a twenty-minute drive or so from Stonehenge. This is also a great day out from Bath.
Boston Tea Party, High Street, Salisbury, UK
Cote - Salisbury, Salisbury, UK
Stonehenge, Salisbury, UK
Stonehenge Visitor Centre, Salisbury, UK
Circles Restaurant, High Street, Avebury, Marlborough, UK
Avebury, Marlborough, UK
Silbury Hill, A4, West Kennet, Marlborough, UK
The Red Lion, High Street, Avebury, Marlborough, UK
Waggon & Horses, Beckhampton, Marlborough, UK
Best Places for Breakfast in Stonehenge
Boston Tea Party
This Salisbury cafe is in The Old George Inn building with a past guest list including Oliver Cromwell, William Shakespeare and Samuel Pepys! Feast on breakfast muffins, hash browns, the “Boss Breakfast” with the works. Or choose from the sides menu if you just want avocado on toast.
Best Things To Do in the Morning in Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Start at the visitor centre and the Stonehenge virtual stones experience to give you a sense of place and feeling for the enormous history, transporting you a world away from car parks and queues. Walk to the circle and feel the vibes. Many people bring picnics so they can sit on this hallowed ground and ponder the wider scale of it. Take time to look around the Neolithic house replicas. While Stonehenge is a very busy tourist attraction, it’s considered a ‘thin place’, so take time to contemplate on why so many of us are still drawn to it today.
Best Places for Lunch in Stonehenge
Best Things To Do in the Afternoon in Stonehenge
Avebury Henge and Stone Circles
Overshadowed by its superstar neighbour, Stonehenge, Avebury henge is part of the area’s vast World Heritage site and is actually the largest stone circle in Britain. The outer circle once numbered around 100 stones, enclosing two smaller stone circles. Built sometime between 2850BC and 2200 BC, what we see today includes a circular bank and ditch around the village of Avebury. English Heritage tells us that Avebury is part of a huge, sacred landscape with Bronze Age and Neolithic ceremonial sites including Silbury Hill and West Kennett Long Barrow. Visit the Alexander Keiller Museum to find out more.
Silbury Hill
Take a walk from Avebury (or drive) to view mysterious Silbury Hill, part of the Avebury World Heritage site. This chalk mound was constructed by humans somewhere around 2470 and 2350BC, and is about the size of an Egyptian pyramid. While experts have fathomed how it was constructed, no-one yet has a clue as to the reason why, and no burial remains have ever been found. Seems it was added to over time and a huge ditch was dug around it. Walk around it (you can’t climb it) and ponder its meaning. Walk on to West Kennet Long Barrow a Neolithic burial chamber built around 3650BC.