Stonehenge or Avebury: two stone circles, two very different visits

Stonehenge or Avebury: two sites, one landscape

Stonehenge and Avebury, together with associated monuments, were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1986. They lie roughly forty kilometres (about 25 miles) apart on the chalk uplands of Wiltshire. Both were shaped in the Neolithic and Bronze Age, long before writing, and archaeologists still argue about exactly how they were used.

Knowing this saves disappointment, and it is the real answer to which is better: Stonehenge suits a short, tidy visit, and Avebury rewards a slow walk. People expect a single dramatic circle and find that the two sites suit different moods. Stonehenge is compact and carefully managed. Avebury is vast, open and woven into everyday life.

Visiting Stonehenge

Stonehenge is managed by English Heritage. The visitor centre stands about two kilometres from the stones, and a shuttle or a walk across the downland leads to them. The main sarsen circle was raised around 2500 BC, and the smaller bluestones were brought from the Preseli Hills in west Wales, a distance of over two hundred kilometres.

Entry normally requires a timed ticket, and it is wise to book ahead, especially in summer. The path keeps visitors back from the stones, which protects them. Around the solstices there is a managed arrangement allowing people to gather at the monument, with its own rules, so check the current announcement before you plan.

Visiting Avebury: is it worth a visit

Avebury is among the largest stone circles in Europe, and the village of Avebury sits partly inside it. The stones are open to walk among without a ticket, and the site is cared for by the National Trust and English Heritage. There is a manor house, a museum and a pub within the ring.

Nearby are Silbury Hill, a huge prehistoric mound whose purpose is still unexplained, and the West Kennet Long Barrow, a Neolithic burial chamber you can enter on foot. Avebury has a car park just outside the village, with fees and rules set by the National Trust, so check its official page. A day at Avebury is best taken slowly, with a loop on the grass and a stop for lunch in the village.

How far apart are Stonehenge and Avebury, and seeing both

With a car the two can be combined in a long day, but most visitors enjoy them more spread over two. Without a car, which is how many visitors from abroad travel, there are guided coach tours from several southern towns, including day tours from London that cover Stonehenge alone or with Avebury (check whether entry to the stones is included in the price), and local buses link Salisbury, Swindon and Avebury on limited timetables.

Photographers favour the first and last hours of daylight. In winter the light is short, and the sun sets at around four in the afternoon around midwinter, so check sunset times and carry a torch.

Reading the stones carefully

Popular books attach many claims to these circles: lines of force, calendars, lost sciences. Some, such as solar alignments at the solstice at Stonehenge, rest on good evidence. Others are speculation. Before you repeat a claim, check whether an archaeological source stands behind it.