England Guide
Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire
Avebury
The village of AVEBURY stands in the midst of a stone circle (www.english-heritage.org.uk; free access) that rivals Stonehenge – the individual stones are generally smaller, but the circle itself is much wider and more complex. A massive earthwork 20ft high and 1400ft across encloses the main circle, which is approached by four causeways across the inner ditch, two of them leading into wide avenues stretching over a mile beyond the circle. The best guess is that it was built soon after 2500 BC, and presumably had a similar ritual or religious function to Stonehenge. The structure of Avebury's diffuse circle is quite difficult to grasp, but there are plans on the site, and you can get an excellent overview at the Alexander Keiller Museum, at the western entrance to the site (daily: April– Oct 10am–6pm or dusk; Nov– March 10am–4pm; £4.20, including Barn Gallery), while the nearby BarnGallery holds a permanent exhibition on Avebury and the surrounding country.
You can have a snack or cream tea at The Circle restaurant, next to the Barn Gallery, or a drink in the Red Lionpub, which also serves reasonable meals and has en-suite rooms ( 
01672/539266; Price: ₤71-90). Alternatively, you can wake up to views of the stones at Manor Farm, a B&B on the High Street ( 01672/539294; no credit cards; Price: ₤71-90), which has a private guests' sitting room.