The journey there from our village in the north of Wiltshire was very interesting, as we drove through the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, past The Ridgeway, an ancient route travellers used thousands of years ago, and the Hackpen White Horse. The Hackpen White Horse was actually created in the Victorian era, so it's not ancient like the Uffington one, but on the plus side, it looks more like an actual horse!
Avebury itself is of course very ancient indeed: it was built in the prehistoric period, just like Stonehenge, a more famous stone circle in Wiltshire. But whereas Stonehenge is very small and is fenced off to keep the public at a distance, Avebury is the largest stone circle in the world, and visitors are allowed to wander around its stones. For these reasons, I think it's a more impressive place to visit.
In addition, it's home to many cute sheep!
Avebury is not just the name of the stone circle, but also the name of the surrounding village, which is very attractive with lots of old-fashioned buildings.
Within the village, you can even find an old manor house, Avebury Manor, which is owned by the National Trust, as is the stone circle. Obviously it's closed at the moment, but it's still nice to see from the outside.
On our way back, we drove past Silbury Hill, one of the largest prehistoric man-made mounds in the world. My dad says that his dad used to tell him that it was built by two giants!
To sum up, Avebury and the surrounding area is a very scenic and historical place to visit, and really gives you an insight into the ancient past of England. Claudio admitted that he found the stones a bit strange, as no one really knows why they're there, and that he preferred the villages that we'd visited in the Cotswolds. But he still found our trip to Avebury interesting.
Not long afterwards, we were let out of lockdown, and Claudio and I had the chance to spend a weekend in a new city. We had an amazing time and I can't wait to write all about it!
