<p>10<sup style="top: -2.5509em;">magazine summer 2011 </sup></p><p><strong>Southern England </strong></p><p><strong>Avebury, Wiltshire </strong></p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">l</li><li style="flex:1">l</li><li style="flex:1">l</li></ul><p></p><p>Distance 18km/11 miles time 6½hrs type Countryside </p><p>FitNess <br>NavigatioN </p><p>2</p><p>2</p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1"><strong>level 2 </strong></li><li style="flex:1"><strong>level 2 </strong></li></ul><p></p><p>plan your walk </p><p>Cheltenham oxford gloucester </p><p>swindon </p><p>Reading </p><p>Bristol </p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">Bath </li><li style="flex:1">aveBURY </li></ul><p>salisbury </p><p>Where: Circular walk from avebury, Wiltshire. </p><p>Start/end: the Red Lion, </p><p>avebury (sU103699). </p><p><strong>Taking in the first section of the </strong>cloak optional). at the end of </p><p>terrain: Unmarked but </p><p>straightforward footpaths </p><p>over open, chalky farmland with plenty of historic monuments for easy </p><p>navigation. </p><p><strong>Great Stones Way, this ‘taster’ route starts and ends inside the prehistoric stone circle at Avebury and follows the proposed trail as far south as the Neolithic long barrow </strong></p><p>the field, cross two stiles and continue beside the road, keeping to the L of the field. things become a bit unclear </p><p>as you approach the farm, so you can play it safe by walking <br>MapS: os explorer 157; </p><p>Landranger 173. </p><p><strong>known as Adam’s Grave. It then </strong>alongside the B4003, R along a <strong>joins part of a possible diversion </strong>brief section of the a4 and then <strong>on the Great Stones Way to pass&nbsp;</strong>L down gunsite Road, before </p><p>GettinG there:&nbsp;Nearest </p><p>mainline train station is in </p><p>swindon (✆ 08457 484950, <a href="/goto?url=http://www.n" target="_blank">www.n</a>ationalrail.co.uk). From there, bus number 49 runs from swindon to avebury hourly Monday to saturday and every two hours on sundays and Bank Holidays </p><p><strong>one of Wiltshire’s eight famous </strong></p><p>joining the White Horse trail. </p><p><strong>white horses, before heading back towards Avebury via other 2.&nbsp;</strong>Head east (L) on the <strong>prehistoric sites like the West </strong></p><p>signposted trail for half a mile, </p><p><strong>Kennet long Barrow and Silbury </strong>then take the first L until you <strong>Hill. Along the way, you’ll get a </strong></p><p>come to the road heading into </p><p><strong>taste of the landscape and chalk </strong>east Kennet. at this point you <strong>escarpment that characterises much of the full 61km/38-mile Way, but with a much more peaceful grand finale in Avebury than at crowded Stonehenge. </strong></p><p>may wish to divert to see the sanctuary, a stone circle believed </p><p>to be older than avebury’s. <br>(✆ 0871 200 2233, www.traveline.org.uk). </p><p>eatinG &amp; drinkinG: </p><p>the Red Lion, avebury (✆ 01672 539266, <a href="/goto?url=http://www.r" target="_blank">www.r</a>ed-lion-pub-avebury. co.uk) – a beautiful </p><p><strong>3. </strong>in either case, pass through </p><p>east Kennet and keep R when the road splits. after passing through </p><p>a farm gate, keep your eye out </p><p><strong>1. START </strong>after taking in the </p><p>avebury stone circle, make your way south down the ceremonial for the trail leading off and up to </p><p>West Kennet avenue (druid’s </p><p>the L. You’re now on the ancient thatched pub within </p><p>continued... </p><p>Avebury’s stone circle. Sleeping: The Lodge, a vegetarian B&amp;B, Avebury (✆ 01672 539 023, </p><p>1</p><p></p><ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">T</li><li style="flex:1">STAR </li></ul><p>FINISH </p><p>www.aveburylodge.co.uk). </p><p>ViSitor information: </p><p>Avebury TIC, Green Street (✆ 01672 539179, www.visitwiltshire.co.uk). </p><p>8</p><p>guidebookS: <em>Avebury: Biography of a Landscape </em>by </p><p>Joshua Pollard and Andrew Reynolds (£19, The History Press, ISBN 0752419579). </p><p>2<br>7</p><p>local ramblerS group: </p><p>Wiltshire Ramblers (✆ 01793 740450, </p><p>3</p><p>www.ramblers-wilts.org.uk). </p><p>6</p><p>Ridgeway and will soon climb above the countryside, with a beautiful valley on your R. Look back at Avebury’s stones and Silbury Hill in the distance. </p><p>5</p><p><strong>4. </strong>After passing through a wooded way you’ll emerge at the top of Wansdyke. Carry on straight down, pass the parking lot on your L and then head uphill towards the Adam’s Grave Long Barrow. Though there is a path to the top, resist the urge to walk upon this ancient monument – a stroll around the perimeter reveals the same view. </p><p>4</p><p>Map not to scale. Representation of </p><p><strong>5. </strong>From here, the proposed Great Stones Way heads south into the Vale of Pewsey, but the route’s planners have also proposed a circular sidetrack that heads west past the White Horse hill figure. So carry on along the escarpment, following the White Horse Trail, and take a L at the second footpath until you come to the three-way junction of the trail. </p><p><strong>OS Explorer MAP 157 1:25,000 </strong></p><p><a href="/goto?url=http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk" target="_blank"><strong>www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk </strong></a></p><p>described by English Heritage as ‘one of the largest and most impressive Neolithic chambered tombs in Britain’. back towards East Kennet. Keep an eye out for burial mounds and the East Kennet Long Barrow, on your R. </p><p><strong>8. </strong>Re-cross the A4 and pass Silbury Hill on your L before making your way up the White Horse Trail back into Avebury and along the high street. <br><strong>7. </strong>Retrace your steps back towards West Kennet but head straight across at Gunsite Road this time. Just after this you can divert again to visit the West Kennet Long Barrow, aptly <br><strong>6. </strong>You’ll leave the Great Stones Way entirely at this point, following the White Horse Trail </p><p><em>Route devised by Chris Hatherill </em></p>