The West Kennet Avenue

This runs for 2.5km with two rows of stones, linking the Avebury Circle with the Sanctuary. There seem to be
two different shapes of stone - pillars and diamonds - which may represent the aspects of male and female.

Some believe Avebury's stone formations could have been a monument dedicated to a fertility cult, with seasonal symbolic rituals celebrating the Solar year - ensuring the fertility of man, animals and the crops.

pillar shaped stone at Avebury

The Avebury Outer Circle

This is 421 metres in diameter and partly encloses the village. There would have been room for a vast crowd.
Surrounding the circle is a ditch and bank which form a henge - nearly a mile in circumference. The monument would have been a stunning sight with its white banks and ditch of exposed chalk. Within the main stone circle are two inner circles - northern and southern.

diamond shaped stone at Avebury

The amazing Avebury's Neolithic temple never fails to stun visitors as they experience its staggering monuments, and feel the power of the ancient natural and spirital energy that flows around the circle and surrounding complex.

Magical myths abound about the stones :

The Swindon Stone apparently revolves on its own axis at midnight and sometimes crosses the road.

Running 100 times anti-clockwise round The Devil's Chair Stone will summon up supernatural powers or even the devil - young women used to sit on the ledge on May Day Eve (Beltane) and make a wish.

When electronic items are used near the ancient ley lines that run through the village they mysteriously fail. The magical ley lines are known as Michael and Mary, and cross near the stones in the southern part of the circle.

As with Stonehenge we can only guess at what happened at Avebury - seasonal celebrations such as at the solstices - so important to agricultural communities, rituals to honour the dead, ceremonies communicating with the powerful forces of nature, worship of the sun and moon, fertility rites... as the midsummer sun rises over Hackpen Hill the mystery continues...

Recommended books on Avebury