Stone circles, crop circles, mysterious mounds, underground tombs, rolling hills, golden fields of grain. Avebury in Wiltshire is a wonderful place to visit and explore ancient ruins and modern fables. New agers, neo-druids, UFO chasers, and curious tourists by the thousands visit this legendary town in search of enlightenment, aliens, the answers to riddles or just a few good photos of all this weirdness to show the folks back home.
Why is all this attention directed towards Avebury, a tiny farming village with one street? Well it’s home to some very significant megalithic ruins scattered through Wiltshire, which includes the famous Stonehenge among it’s other attractions. Want stone circles? Avebury has the largest megalithic circle in the world. In fact its 98 stones surround the village and the fields marking out a huge circle that covers 28 acres. Just beyond the circle lies a 30 ft. deep ditch, which then becomes a 15 ft high embankment! And all this was set in place almost 6,000 years ago!
Outside that stone circle lies the Silbury Hill, a 4,300 year-old man-made mound whose origins and purpose are still a mystery. Estimates are that it took 40-50 years to build the hill. Unfortunately the mound has attracted undesirable attention from those who would exploit it for their own benefit. From the first shaft dug in the 1800’s in search of treasure to extensive recent damage done by those in search of aliens and profits from a video tape and tours, it seems the mound is definitely a magnet for hype.
Likewise hype surrounds the other big attraction around Avebury; crop circles. Perhaps aliens really like landing in the fields of Avebury. Maybe within the circle they can recharge their propulsion systems with the energy focused by the stones, just as they’ve done for millennia. Or maybe the aliens are just stopping by in droves like the tourists to take pictures to show back home on Alpha Centuri. And the crop circles are the only evidence of their very frequent visits, because unlike most earthlings they pack out their trash. Although I did see a suspicious Milky Way wrapper in a field.
During my visit to the area in July, I got to check out these ancient mysteries and the hype. The Avebury stone circles are truly amazing. Dated at least 5000 years ago, one can only marvel at those stones and their purpose. The largest circle could easily have contained a village within, as it does now. The inner circles may have had other purposes, possibly religious. The Silbury Mound and the Cave Tomb are evidence that man has been active at this site for millennia. Lacking more substantial clues, any other conclusions are just guesses.
As far as crop circles go, however, the mystery exists only in the minds of those with vivid imaginations. On my first day in the area, my friend and guide, Pete Glastonbury, drove me down the road and pointed out crop circle after crop circle on either side of the road. Some barely visible, due to oblique angles, others more obvious on slopes. Unfortunately a planned flight over the fields didn’t happen, but I did get to visit one crop circle that was made by the Weetabix company for an upcoming commercial (see more hype!).
The next day’s drive around the area, and several new crop circles were spotted. Isn’t it amazing that with all the locals, tourists and hang arounders, nobody saw any alien spacecraft landing? Well the truth can now be told. The aliens no longer visit Avebury… It’s too touristy! So to make up for the lost business from Alpha Centuri and the rest of the Milky Way, local groups of crop circle “enthusiasts” plot out their circles on computers and lay down the guidelines at night. The next evening they come back, and in a couple of hours, tamp down a new crop circle in some field, much to the farmer’s dismay and financial loss.
It turns out that those fields that have been visited by nocturnal “aliens”, lose whatever grain has been disturbed because their combines can’t reach the seed heads when they’re flat on the ground. In addition those seeds take root and when the crop is rotated next year, that field gets the old grain mixed with the new, creating another headache for the farmer. As a result old crop circle patterns can emerge the following year.
As damaging to the fields as crop circles are, you’d think the farmers would be real pissed off. But no doubt all the hype surrounding them benefits the local economy by drawing tourists by the thousands. And after a couple of lost summers of tourism due to hoof and mouth and mad cow disease, the return of the masses is welcomed.
But more importantly, I believe these crop circles are works of art, (for the most part). Many of them are expertly designed and executed. When viewed from the proper angle, in a plane, they present an awesome if temporal view of how man shapes the landscape of rural England. Just as he’s been doing for over 5,000 years.
Another of the ancient attractions in the area is the West Kennet Long Barrow, a multi-chambered megalithic tomb that exudes a surreal aura of ancient sacred rites. It’s open during daylight and is a short walk up from two small turnouts where you can park. If you visit please do not disturb the chambers or light candles or leave offerings. Respect the monument.
Silbury Hill at Sunset
You can also visit the Keiller Museum, founded 1930. It contains exhibits and materials found in and around the Avebury area.
My friend Pete Glastonbury has put together a marvelous collection of historical images, 180 beautiful panoramic 360 degree images, and stories about Avebury on a CD-ROM. It can be purchased over the internet at: https://www.megalithic.co.uk
You can sample some of the images at Pete’s wonderful site:
Getting there: Swindon is the nearest railway station.
Visiting Avebury is FREE!