1/23, Saturday, Avebury

We had breakfast, packed up the car and headed out towards Avebury. So now I've driven on motorways, main roads, and small narrow country roads. One thing you don't see is traffic lights. Just about every intersection is a roundabout.

We could have stopped at Stonehenge that sits in the middle of a field with nothing else around it but tour buses. Instead we headed a little further north. Getting to Avebury around noon, we parked the car and walked around a Neolithic stone circle that dates back to about 2500 BCE, which is before the pyramids were built. The circle has a diameter of approximately 470 yards.

The ditch and resulting mound around the perimeter is a henge feature.

In Avebury, there is a house that was the centerpiece of a British show called "The Manor Reborn" where they are restoring the 500 year old manor. Unfortunately it was closed. 

We stopped in for a drink at the Red Lion which sits within the ancient stone circle. It was established in 1802 and is famous for its 86 foot deep well that dates back to the 1600's.

There was plenty of other things to see around Avebury like this old church named St. James. The earliest parts date back to 1000 CE. It was actually colder inside the church than is was outside.

Many people brought there dogs to the area. It was like one giant dog park. Here is an 18 week old fuzzy white German Shepard. 

Moving on to our next hotel outside of Bath. It was an old flour mill on the Avon river. 

The stone arch bridge was built in 1872. It is a toll bridge that charges 70 pence for cars to traverse. Two guys that look more like longshoremen stand at one end of the bridge to collect.