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Most of us have heard of Stonehenge, but few have heard of the nearby World Heritage Site of Avebury and its Neolithic henge monument that contains three stone circles. I’ll admit that I had never heard of Avebury until I was planning a long weekend in the beautiful county of Wiltshire. Wiltshire is packed with amazing sights including the magnificent Stonehenge (only a 40 minute drive away from Avebury) and the pretty historic villages of Lacock and Castle Combe, both of which have been used as filming locations for famous movies such as Harry Potter and War Horse.
When we began to see the large upright rocks, we knew that we had arrived in the right place, as they weave throughout the village and surrounding area. The village is owned and managed by the National Trust, so is free for members, but a parking fee applies for non-members. English Heritage members can also park for free. Visitors can only park in the designated National Trust car park which is off the A4361, so don’t bother with trying to find parking in and around the village.
You don’t have to pay any additional fees to visit the village and stone circles. Alongside the pretty historic village and the stone circles, there are several other sites to visit in Avebury, including the National Trust museum and Avebury manor house and garden (free for members, fee applies for non-members), the Dovecote, St James Church and the The Archaeology of Avebury museum which tells the history of the stone circles. If you have the flexibility of having a car or plenty of time and energy to go on a long hike, then you can also visit the nearby West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill (free to visit).
It was a busy August bank holiday weekend when we visited, so we had to drive around the car park for a while in order to get a park. The car park was only a short walk to the village where we found gorgeous thatched cottages with a local pub and quirky gift store, The Henge Shop, which sells magical fare alongside the usual tourist items. The National Trust also has an onsite cafe and gift store. We had brought a picnic lunch with us, so we headed over to the picnic area outside the National Trust cafe and museum where they also had some games laid out on the lawn for visitors to enjoy.
What to See and Do in Avebury
Alexander Keiller Museum
After lunch we went to get tickets for the museum and manor house at the ticket office based in the National Trust museum. We are members, so our tickets were free, but non-members will need to pay. As it was a busy weekend, they were doing timed entry into the manor house, so we spent a short time visiting the museum while we waited for our time slot. The Alexander Keiller Museum is housed in a lovely old barn. On one side is the Stables Gallery which has displays of the archaeological finds from the area, and on the other side is the Barn Gallery which has interactive displays and a children’s area. Overall, it was interesting to find out more about the area, but I found it a bit boring and we didn’t stay long.
Avebury Manor House and Gardens
We headed over to the 16th century Avebury Manor house which is surrounded by a beautiful garden. The house has a long history, the earliest parts of the present house were built after William Dunch of Little Wittenham in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire) purchased the estate in 1551. It was around this time that the stone dovecote was erected on the grounds, which is still standing in what is now the picnic grounds. In the 1580’s, William Dunch passed it on to his younger son, Walter Dunch, whose daughter, Lady Moody, grew up at the manor before emigrating to America and founding the town Gravesend in Brooklyn, New York. When she became widowed, she married Sir James Mervyn who served as High Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1596. They spent a lot of money extending and remodelling the house around 1601.
The BBC television series The Manor Reborn (aired 2011) was filmed in the manor and each of the nine rooms and part of the garden were redecorated and redesigned in five different styles: Tudor, Queen Anne, Georgian, Victorian and 20th century. Unlike other historic properties where you can’t touch or sit on the furniture, at Avebury you are encouraged to sit on the chairs and lie on the beds!
After exploring the house, we spent some time enjoying the gardens which features the Kitchen Garden, Topiary Garden, Lions Walk, Church Garden, East Garden, Half Moon Garden, Orchard, Monks Garden and South Lawn. The gardens were beautiful and peaceful.
St James Church
After exploring the gardens, we popped into the nearby St James Church for a short visit. The church is very old and dates from around 1000 A.D and has original Saxon features with later Norman additions. The church is free to the public to visit, but donations are appreciated.
The Archaeology of Avebury Museum (Museum Stables)
Before heading out to see the stone circles and henge, we visited the small museum in the old stables which provides a history of this place and how it was all made. If you are wondering what a henge is, its basically a circular Neolithic earthwork consisting of a bank with a ditch on the inside. The henge at Avebury is exceptionally large at just over three quarters of a mile in circumference and it would have originally been up to 29 feet deep. I was amazed and impressed to read that it was dug with antler picks!
Within the henge is a large outer stone circle with a diameter of 331.6 metres (1,088 ft). There was originally 98 sarson standing stones, some weighing up to 40 tons and as high as 4.2 metres. Nearer the inside of the monument are two more stone circles, but sadly, the southern inner circle was destroyed in the 18th century. As well as the stone circles, there is also an avenue of paired stones that leads out from the southeastern end and there used to be another one that led from the western entrance. Visiting the museum enables you to see images of how this all once looked.
Like Stonehenge, no one really knows why they were built, but that’s what makes these sites so fascinating. There are a range of theories out there. For example, that this is a place for rituals; that they might have represented the centre of the world to those who constructed them; the human bones found at the site may indicate that it was used for Ancestor worship. I love that with all our scientific knowledge, we still can’t figure it out!
Avebury Three Stone Circles and Henge
Unlike Stonehenge, at Avebury you can get amongst the giant rocks and even touch them. Following our visit to the Museum Stables, we headed out for a walk around the perimeter of the henge and to zig zag across the fields to get a closer look at the impressive standing stones. We spent lots of time exploring the fields and enjoying all of the stones from different angles. There are lots of sheep grazing in these fields, so watch where you walk, otherwise you will be taking smelly sheep poo home with you.
Although it was very busy when we visited, it didn’t feel too bad since everyone was spread out amongst the village, fields and National Trust sites. Most tourists don’t tend to stray too far from the main village, so if you want to find a quieter spot then head to the large field directly behind the Henge Shop near the A4361 Beckhampton Road where you will find a line of large standing stones. If you are up to walking a bit further, then head along the B4003 to West Kennet Avenue where you will find the avenue of paired stones. There is a little bit of parking on the side of the road if you prefer to drive, but lookout for the potholes.
West Kennet Long Barrow
West Kennett, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 1QH
The West Kennet Long Barrow is on privately owned land but is managed by The English Heritage. It’s free to visit and is a 40 minute walk from Avebury, or 10 minutes by car. If walking, follow the paths through the fields. If driving, head along the B4003 and then turn right when you get to the A4. There is only a small amount of parking available on the side of the rather busy A4 road. From there it is about a 10 minute walk up the hill to the barrow.
The West Kennet Long Barrow is one of the largest and most accessible Neolithic chambered tombs in Britain. Built in around 3650 BC, it was used for a short time as a burial chamber. When excavating the barrow, they found cremations and the partial remains of at least forty-six individuals – both male and female of all ages. They also found pottery, beads, and stone implements such as a dagger, dated between 3000 and 2600 BC.
Since it’s a bit out of the way from the main tourist site of Avebury, there were not as many people visiting. I loved that we actually got to go inside the barrow to explore. As it’s up on a hill, you also get beautiful views of the surrounding countryside.
Silbury Hill
West Kennett, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 1QH
A short way up the road from West Kennet Long Barrow is Silbury Hill. If you don’t have the energy to walk down the road to it from the barrow, then there is an off street car park on the side of the A4. Parking and access is free to this site. It’s hard to miss as at 30 metres high and 160 metres wide, it is the largest artificial mound in Europe. No one knows why it was built, but it contains no burial. It was probably completed around 2400 BC. If you have the energy, then you can walk up to the top for amazing views.
Visiting Avebury on a Budget
If you are driving to Avebury, then you will need to pay to use the National Trust car park. But if you are a National Trust or English Heritage member then you can park for free. Visiting the village, henge and the stone circles is free. Visiting West Kennet Long Barrow and Silbury Hill is also free, as is the parking by these sites.
Unless you are a National Trust member, then you will need to pay an entry fee if you want to visit the manor house and gardens and museum. However, if you travel by bus to Avebury, then you can get a £1 discount on entry, but you will need to show your ticket or bus pass when buying tickets, so be careful not to accidentally throw out your ticket.
Accommodation Options in and Around Avebury
Search available accommodation in and around Avebury
Budget
Moderate
- B&B Dorwyn Manor
- B&B Haven At Avebury
- Beckhampton Bed and Breakfast – in the neighbouring village of Beckhampton.
Luxury
- Avebury Lodge – stay in the stone circles!
Practical Tips for Visiting Avebury
- How long should I visit Avebury for? It depends on how much you want to explore. If you visit everything that we did then, then we took about 3 hours. However, I could happily have spent most of the day out here and enjoyed some of the walking paths through the countryside.
- How to Get to Avebury
- By Car: We drove to Avebury. It’s 6 miles west of Marlborough on the A4361. Access to the car park is off Beckhampton Road A4361 – use the postcode SN8 1RD in your sat nav to find the main visitor car park.
- Public Transport: You can get to Avebury via public transport. Connecting Wiltshire have a dedicated page on their website that helps you to plan your trip. They even have a video on how to travel to Avebury without a car which I’ve included below.
- Tours: You can visit Avebury on a tour. Tours usually include other interesting sites in the area:
- Entrance to Avebury: Avebury is owned and managed by the National Trust. There is no entry fee to the village and surrounding area, but if you are arriving by car, visitors can only park in the designated National Trust car park which is off the A4361. Parking is free for members, but there is a rather steep fee for non-members. There is also a fee for non-members to get access to the museums and manor house.
- Can I visit Stonehenge and Avebury in the same day? Yes, it’s only about a 40 minute drive between them. Visit one in the morning and then the other in the afternoon.
- Weather: If you are visiting Avebury on a rainy day, then wear waterproofs as there is no shelter out in the fields exploring the henge and stone circles.
- Toilets: Toilets are located at the Visitor Centre by the National Trust cafe.
- Currency: British pound.
- Tipping: Not required, but people usually round up.
- Electricity: The electrical current is 230 volts AC. Wall outlets take a three pronged plug only used in the United Kingdom and Ireland. However, you are better off purchasing a worldwide adaptor that can be used in the United Kingdom as well other countries. At least then you can potentially get some further use out of it on future vacations. If you’re taking a number of electronics with you, then I would recommend purchasing a couple of these adaptors.
- Driving: In the UK they drive on the left hand side of the road with speed signs in miles per hour (mph).
- Navigating: We used Google’s free Offline Maps. Google Offline Maps allows you to access free maps for navigating that can be used offline i.e. you don’t need WIFI, data, or roaming to be able to use them. Follow my detailed guide on how to use Googles Offline Maps.
- Using your phone as a GPS will drain your battery quickly, so use a portable battery charger which you can use to charge your phone and any other USB chargeable devices.
- If you prefer a paper map, then purchase a road map before you go. At least it’s reliable and won’t run out of battery or malfunction like the electronic options!
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