Avebury Stone Circle is one of the world's greatest prehistoric monuments: older than Stonehenge,…read moreit is the largest megalithic stone circle (henge) anywhere, and part of what was once an enormous megalithic complex stretching for miles. To me, it's more impressive and more spiritual a place than Stonehenge, despite the fact there's a road and village within its structure. History As ever with such sites, our knowledge is limited, but like Stonhenge, it is likely to have been built in phases. The best guess is that construction began around 2600BC with the inner circles, with the great ditch and outer circle completed around 2500BC, making it contemporaneous with the Pyramids at Giza. When completed, these circles included about 154 stones (only 36 remain today) and it also had two avenues 50 feet wide on either side, extending another one and a half miles. Excavations indicate it was probably used as a ritual site for some 2,300 years. A mile to the south is the artificial Silbury Hill, which must also have formed a related part of this complex, although its purpose is now unkown. Nearby Windmill Hill - an important settlement in Neolithic times - also has some burial mounds from the Bronze Age. As well as natural degradation, the monument suffered hugely during the mediaeval period when the Christian authorities actively encouraged demolition of what was regarded as a Pagan monument. This process accelerated in the 17th and 18th centuries, when local people also broke up the stones for building material. But as late as the 1720s, the great antiquarian Dr William Stukeley was able to trace the original plan, including the avenues: although his interpretation of this as a Druid site is now regarded as inaccurate, his drawings and surveys provide our best record of what it looked like. Alas, the destruction of the stones by local farmers continued unabated into the 19th century. The 20th century showed a greater interest in and respect for the site, and - rather controversially - many of the stones were re-erected in the 1930s by the archaeologist Alexander Keiller. This involved in some cases demolition of later buildings, themselves of some historical interest. I happen to think he was right to try and preserve what was left, but many contextual historians disagree. Whatever the rights and wrongs, the site is now safely in the hands of the English Heritage and managed by the National Trust. The site Today, the most impressive feature is the great ditch and its banks: the excavation of this feature - nearly 0.5km in diameter - involved moving 200,000 tonnes of soil and rock. It may even once have been filled with water to make the interior and island. Even now, the ditch and bank together are impressive, but originally they were even deeper/higher (at around 50ft). Inside this are the remains of the outer circle, which is nearly complete in the north west and south west corners. The remains of the two inside circles are more fragmentary. Unlike Stonehenge, here you can walk right up to the stones, so allow at least a couple of hours to visit properly. Don't miss walking south from the main henge monument along the West Kennet Avenue - around 30 standing stones arranged in pairs (to the form the avenue). Practicalities There is a gift shop and museum in the nearby Barn and Stables (themselves 17th century buildings) with interactive displays to put everything into context. The museums are fully accessible, but the main site has undulating grassy terrain (without footpaths) which are accessed through "kissing gates". The ground can get soft and rather boggy underfoot if it has been raining, so you will have to judge for yourself. There is a drop-off point in the village. Parking is the main problem: there is a pay and display car park (free for motorcycles and National Trust Members), on the A4361 road between Beckington and Avebury about 400m from the edge of the henge. This can become packed very quickly in the summer. There's a more central car park for those with disabled parking badges - the Red Lion car park is only for patrons. The village of Avebury itself is worth a wander around (Avebury Manor - see separate review - and the Red Lion especially, although it does get terribly busy at weekends in summer). For the most part, you'll still be inside the monument itself!

I almost feel educated!‍ We enjoyed this pre Stonehenge!…read more Keeps getting ! Keeps getting stranger!

The castle is lovely and grounds are absolutely stunning. Although the structure and landscaping…read moreare lovely, our tour guide felt the need to weave her strong political views into most topics. Examples would be regarding a pitcher/jug that is displayed in one of the glass cases. She said the pitcher "should not be here" and if she had her way "it would be returned" because it was "stolen from a masque." She also said when referring to Dr. Edward Jenner being the first to develop a successful vaccination for small pox that "it really is a question if he were the first." She said he barely beat Africa and Turkey in this world altering vaccine. To which doctors to whom was she referring to in Africa or Turkey? She made a comment of, " My grandfather always said, 'Whatever horrible acts done have been done have been done by the English first.' and I firmly believe this." She was also railing against the decisions of the monarchs before the addition of the parliament. Then she went on to say she wished she could get rid of the current government. A guide should concentrate on the facts and remove biases. It is quite distracting and unnecessary.

What can you say about one of the oldest inhabited castles in the world which is still owned by the…read moresame family from 900 years ago. You have to go. Its where Edward II was murdered with a red hot poker up his fundament .

Bibury is a charming, typically Cotswold. It's easy to see why William Morris called Bibury 'The…read moremost beautiful village in England' - wonderful stone buildings strung out along the banks of the River Coln. Arlington Row, owned by the National Trust, is one of England's most iconic and photographed sites - it even appears on the inside cover of UK passports! Originally built in the 14th century as a monastic wool store, it was converted in the 17th century into a row of weavers' cottages. The River Coln flows through Bibury sandwiched between the main village street and an expanse of boggy water meadow known as Rack Isle, so called because wool was once hung out to dry there on racks after it had been washed in Arlington Row. You can even see some trout in the river, which the trout farm owners told us they are the escape artists! With Arlington Row as a backdrop, it makes one of the most picturesque scenes you will find in the Cotswolds. Other attractions in Bibury include: Bibury Trout Farm, (see my other review) one of the oldest and most attractive trout farms in the country covering almost 15 acres, where you can learn about trout or event catch your own dinner. This village is stunning, perfect photographers dream. Do come you will not be disappointed.

If traveling past Oxford don't miss out on this picturesque little town, offering a prime example…read moreof the Cotswold way of living. Houses are maintained in much the old fashion, offering not just wonderful photo opportunities but also a glimpse into housing of the past . You will find several small tea houses and shops here, as well as a trout farm and hotel. Well worth a visit or even a relaxing weekend.

Wantage (12km ENE) (map may be wrong)…read more Wayland Smith, Wayland Smith here is a horse for you to shoe. According to legend, a traveller whose horse has lost a shoe can leave the animal and the smallest silver coin (a groat) on the capstone at Wayland's Smithy. When he returns next morning he will find that his horse has been re-shod and the money gone. It was dusk..3 chidren with me..I took a 5p out and placed it on the stone..I said Wayland Smith, Way and the children were gone in a cloud of dust! I finish the verse and suddenly my dust was added as I ran in the increasing gloom of early evening..so fast I caught up with them and we fell in a heap giggling They do say if you look at him you are immediately struck blind Ok so combined with the rest of the area it is a good day out..take a picnic..and I used to work in archeology (as the historian) so heres the history bit :) It is conjectured that the invisible smith may have been linked to this site for many centuries before the Saxons recognized him as Wayland. The Ancient Britons may have been accustomed to making votive offerings to a local god. Wayland's Smithy is a Neolithic long barrow and chamber tomb site located, near the Uffington White Horse and Uffington Castle, at Ashbury in the English county of Oxfordshire (formerly in Berkshire).Wayland's Smithy is one of the most impressive and atmospheric Neolithic burial chambers in Britain. Somehow this ancient grave became associated with Wayland, the Saxon god of metalworking, from whom it takes its name. The later mound was 185 feet long and 43 feet wide at the south end. Its present appearance is the result of restoration following excavations undertaken by Stuart Piggott and Richard Atkinson in 1962-1963. They demonstrated that the site had been built in two different phases, a timber chambered oval barrow built around 3700 BC and the second stone chambered long barrow in around 3400 BC. The wooden mortuary house mainly consisted of a paved stone floor with two large posts at either end. A single crouched burial had been placed at one end and the mostly disarticulated remains of a further fourteen individuals were scattered in front of it. Analysis of these remains indicated that they had been subjected to excarnation prior to burial and deposited in possibly four different phases. Postholes at one end have been interpreted as supporting a timber facade. The whole monument was covered by an earth barrow with material excavated from two flanking ditches and measured around 20m in length. The later stone tomb consists of two opposing transept chambers and terminal chamber, along with the longer entrance chamber, this gives the burial area a cruciform appearance in plan. It is classified by archaeologists as one of the Severn-Cotswold tombs. The large trapezoidal earth barrow erected over it was revetted with a stone kerb and its material was again excavated from two large flanking ditches. Excavation in 1919 revealed the burials of seven adults and one child. Bones found at a prehistoric burial site indicate they belonged to victims of an ancient massacre, say scientists. The site is important as it illustrates the transition from timber chambered barrows to stone chamber tombs over a period which may have been as short as 50 years.

This War Memorial in Wootton Bassettt is quite unusual. It's quite small, with a simple pedestal,…read moreand on top of that a bronze of hands holding a globe. I think seeing something like that makes you think of what the world owes to a few people. The memorial was unveiled in October 2004, and was the result of a five year fundraising campaign by former army cadet Jay Cunningham. The design was decided by public vote, the one chosen being by Lance Corp Alan Wilson of the Wootton Bassett army cadets. The bronze was sculpted by artist Vivian ap Rhys Price from Calne. Since April 2007 the War Memorial has become the centre of a new ritual for the town. At that time the RAF began to use nearby RAF Lyneham rather than Brize Norton for repatriation ceremonies. To get to the coroner at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford the hearses pass along Wootton Bassett's high street. By chance two members of the Royal British Legion saw and saluted one as it went past. People heard about it and asked to be informed. There is now a phone tree set up, bringing 150-500 people to give tribute to each hearse. They include everyone from ex-servicemen and children, and people come from neighbouring villages. They have now paid tribute to more than 100 fallen soldiers, and recently the RAF said thank you by organising a parade and fly-past.

You might not realise, but Wiltshire is actually full of white horses This is one of the more…read morerecent ones, said to have been cut in 1837 by the Parish Clerk of Broad Hinton to commemorate the coronation of Queen Victoria. (What? You thought they were all Neolithic? Nope the Victorians had a bit of a fashion going for them). It's also quite small, being 27 metres high. You can get a pretty good view from a car as you drive up Hackpen Hill, though I scared my mum by leaning out the window to get a picture (I WAS looking out for traffic coming the other way lol). Apparently the field underneath is a favourite place for crop circles to appear. In fact, if you turn the map to satellite/hybrid view, you'll currently be able to see the horse and a rather fine crop circle to the North West The horse is also known as the Broad Hinton or Winterbourne Bassett white horse, after nearby villages.

Okay, so at one level this is just an artificial mound. But it happens to be nearly 4,500 years old…read moreand, at over 30m in height, is the largest prehistoric artificial mound in Europe. So it something special. It forms part of the Avebury UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the nearby West Kennet Long Barrow, and the Avebury Stone Circle and adjacent avenues (see separate reviews on Yelp), and can be visited as part of a day trip around all of the sites. Excavation has shown the mound was not built in one go, but in a series of enlargements, undertaken between about 2470 and 2350 BC. These included excavation of a series of increasingly larger outer ditches (one of which was water filled), and placing the chalk rubble onto the mound. It is not known what the mound was used for, but it was clearly something of great significance to the Neolithic people, and forms part of the wider Neolithic landscape of henge monuments and burial mounds. Over the course of the following years, a small Roman settlement was built next to the mound, and in mediaeval times, the top of the mound was flattened, possibly for defensive use. Inevitably, over the years, the mound has become the subject of a number of myths and legends. There have been three major campaigns of excavation. The first was financed by Hugh Percy, Duke of Northumberland, in 1776. Overseen by Edward Drax, miners were employed to dig a vertical shaft from the summit to the centre of the hill. They had hoped to discover a burial in the centre, but found nothing. The next attempt in 1849 saw John Merewether, the Dean of Hereford Cathedral, excavating a horizontal tunnel into hill from its base. Again, no burial was found. It is possible that these earlier excavations may have damaged fragile organic remains. I am old enough to remember the third major investigation, which was undertaken between 1968 and 1970. Televised by the BBC, it was a major and regular item on the news. Professor Richard Atkinson excavated a new tunnel on a similar line to Merewether's, and identified three phases of construction. Further work was undertaken in 2000, when it was found necessary to restore part of the mound, which had begun to collapse because of the earlier excavations. This has added significantly to understanding of the complex process of construction. Located alongside the modern A4 road, there's a decent sized car park just west of the site, with a path to a viewing area with information boards. You are no longer allowed to scramble over the mound itself, but a footpath to the north allows a different perspective. You can get another close view from the nearby A4 road if you can brave the traffic (there is a narrow pavement, but with vehicles whizzing close by at 60mph, it is not very pleasant, nor safe for those with children).

This is a sight to see. No solid reason why the Neolithic population spent decades raising a hill…read morethis high. Science has done 3 tunnels over 150 years for discovery, but no result. Each 50 years apart. Why? Another religion or astronomy guess. Done by hand over decades. That would involve generations and continued guidance and a firm purpose. No one is allowed on the hill. Privately owned by one family for many generations to preserve its history. There are sheep trails on it. All done by hand, a basket at a time. . Who decided when it was done. ?

An idyllic place to study for a young art student & I was…read moreone. Inspiring place, once owned & leased by Lord Methuen to the Bath Academy of Art Once a royal Saxon manor it was later designed to house flemish master paintings.The gardens are lovely. Designed by Capability Brown complete with peacocks & a Ha-Ha.There are state rooms to visit & a picture gallery.Now the Art college has returned after 20 years,the current owner James Methuen Campbell, said: I am especially happy that artists will continue to draw inspiration from these beautiful surroundings; the setting here is unique.