My next destination was to be Dorset, my home county, but a commitment came up requiring me to return in a week so as often happens on a long trip I changed the itinerary. To make the most of the week ahead I’d now focus on completing the southern counties before returning to Dorset. The new route saw me retracing my steps and shooting across into Wiltshire.
Wiltshire’s rolling chalk downs are scattered with ancient & mysterious structures. I was heading to one of these, the 5000 year old Avebury Rings, sat twenty miles north of its tourist laden cousin Stonehenge. The pastel hues & open vistas is Salisbury Plain provides a welcome relief from the claustrophobic lanes of the previous days.
Avebury village sits astride the ancient stone circle. Many of the stones are missing, removed over the centuries to be recycled in the local stone cottages & barns, a visual reminder that the preservation of these bygone monuments was not always the priority it is today. The site was surprisingly void of the crowd that plague Stonehenge, indeed I only had to share the view with a flock of sheep who nonchalantly preceded to churn the field into a quagmire around the stones. Many theories exist as to the purpose of these great stone circles, but no one knows for sure. The stones were brought from Wales, the hard rock supposedly carrying magical powers. Whatever reason the ancient residents brought the stones here it really is a remarkable feat to have transported them over such distances.
Nearby sits an even more mysterious feature. Jutting our from the fields the towering come of Silbury Hill has featured on the horizon for five millennia. When built this behemoth was a pure white dome of chalk, now it’s covered in pale grasses but still an impressive sight. Perhaps this was a beacon to distant travellers, a pilgrimage site or as some would argue a UFO landing pad, whatever secrets it holds it was fun to take in this intriguing landscape and wonder about what view would have spread in front of me many thousands of years before.
I had a room booked down on the coast but with still a few hours daylight left I was able to tick off neighbouring Berkshire en-route.
Long thin Berkshire stretches from the ever expanding mass of London’s commuter belt out into the rural farmlands in the west of the county.
It was this western portion I found myself cutting through now. The rolling hills dotted with quintessentially English villages of thatched cottages and quaint pubs. The country homes of the gentry peeking out from behind their long tree lined drives whilst old people wearing tweed struggled to top 10mph along the lanes. The market town of Hungerford seemed a good place to stop off. The market was just packing up but there was still a lively bustle of folk in the square. Traditional market fare had been replaced with various pretentious items that would fit well in a toffs pantry. As I had no need for artisan humus platters or saffron infused quails eggs so I headed down to the canal. The Kennet & Avon canal was built in the 1700s to create a navigable waterway linking the River Thames to the Bristol Channel. At the time this would have been an important trade route but it was made obsolete by the railways. Now goods are transported largely by road leaving the canal for the houseboat owners and fishermen who were all out enjoying the peaceful setting.
I had a hovercraft to catch in the morning so I had to leave the peaceful Berkshire countryside and join the tailbacks of traffic now jamming the evening roads. Tomorrow I will be heading over the sea to the Isle of Wight.
 |
| Avebury Stone Circle |
 |
| Avebury village |
 |
| Silbury Hill |
 |
| Houseboats on the Kennet & Avon Canal |
 |
| Hungerford |
 |
| A canal-front home in Hungerford |
Wiltshire’s rolling chalk downs are scattered with ancient & mysterious structures. I was heading to one of these, the 5000 year old Avebury Rings, sat twenty miles north of its tourist laden cousin Stonehenge. The pastel hues & open vistas is Salisbury Plain provides a welcome relief from the claustrophobic lanes of the previous days.
