Having visited Avebury on a Mad Max Tour out of Bath back in 2001, I knew I wanted to take the newbies to a quaint village far from the madding crowds (Thomas Hardy)…or is that “maddening” crowds? I loved Lacock and Castle Coombe, but I think Avebury is do-able from Windsor while still giving us plenty of time in both places.
I’m crossing a line here, but…Stonehenge is boring when you’ve already visited more than once. The area is prairie, no town nearby, and a long walk from the visitor’s center to the actual stones that you can no longer access closely. Glad I went when I did the first time.
Avebury, on the other hand, is also a “henge”, although originally a woodhenge. It is much larger in area than Stonehenge, and boasts a small quaint village partly inside the henge. On a nice summer day there is great little walk to get some country air and visit also the main attractions around Avebury. Avebury henge comprises of an enormous circular earthwork, 400 m wide. Inside is a circle of immense standing stones, and inside that there are two more stone circles each 100 metres in diameter. From Avebury there run two stone avenues, each of which had about 100 megaliths as part of a 600 stone complex. Avebury is about 24 miles north of Stonehenge, the large Sarsen stones from Stonehenge originate from the Avebury district. The village has two museums and a nice pub. There is also a National Trust store and restaurant.
And Windsor!!
I’ve seen and toured many castles in Ireland, Scotland, and England. I loved Crathes Castle, Glamis Castle, and of course, Ashford Castle…but so far, Windsor Castle is my favorite castle of all.
