Westbury White Horse and Avebury Henge

Wiltshire is well known for its White Horse hill figures and they have become a symbol of the county. The origins of such hill figures are obscure and of the original 13 only 8 now survive; the Westbury White Horse is the oldest and is carved on to a chalk escarpment on the Salisbury Plain. Hill figures lose their shape over time due to growth of vegetation etc and maintenance is necessary; indeed, in the 1950s, the Westbury White Horse was concreted over by the local council! We viewed both from afar and close up on the short walk above it.

Next stop is the Avebury World Heritage Site, to see the the Stone Circle. This is a Neolithic henge monument comprising a bank and ditch surrounding a roughly circular flat area; inside this particular henge are two small stone circles within a much larger stone circle - with a diameter of 330m, this is the largest megalithic stone circle in the world. Once again the original purpose is unknown, but construction is thought to have been around 2,600 BC. We enjoy our walk around the entire stone circle; it originally comprised about 100 stones - many are not there now and part of the circle now includes a corner of Avebury village. Another stunning site and a good way to end this visit to Wiltshire.Read more