Gallery - Avebury & North Wessex Downs – April Walking Weekend
This Gallery relates to the following trips from Large Outdoors:
UNESCO Avebury Neolithic Landscape: A Walking Weekend in the North Wessex Downs
Our latest car-free walking weekend began with a glorious arrival in Marlborough, a market town full of charm and character. With not a cloud in the sky, we took full advantage of the sunshine and gathered in the beer garden at our base for the weekend – the Castle and Ball Hotel. After getting to know each other over drinks, we headed indoors for a relaxed pub dinner and a chat through the plans for the weekend ahead.
Saturday’s walk was all about immersing ourselves in the ancient landscapes of the Avebury World Heritage Site. After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we set off to explore this extraordinary area, starting with Avebury Stone Circle – one of the largest and most impressive prehistoric stone circles in Europe. Unlike other stone circles, Avebury’s stones are woven into the village itself, and walking amongst them offers a real connection with the landscape.
From there, we continued on to:
– Silbury Hill, a 30-metre-high chalk mound that remains the largest man-made prehistoric structure in Europe.
– West Kennet Long Barrow, a Neolithic tomb over 5,500 years old, with chambers you can still step inside today.
– The Palisades and The Sanctuary, two lesser-known but powerful historic sites where wooden and stone structures once stood, forming ceremonial areas on this sacred landscape.
We then joined The Ridgeway, known as Britain’s oldest road, walking along this ancient trackway to reach the Saracen Field, where sarsen stones – used in building everything from local churches to Stonehenge itself – still lie scattered across the land.
After meeting some friendly cows and making our way back to Avebury, we rounded off the day with a well-earned brew at the National Trust café, with time for everyone to explore the village at their own pace.
Saturday evening saw the group gather again for a cracking meal at Pino’s Italian back in Marlborough – the perfect way to refuel and wind down after a full day on foot.
On Sunday, we tucked into another hotel breakfast, checked out, and set off on a gentler route following the Kennet & Avon Canal. The spring sunshine continued as we reached the impressive Crofton Beam Engines, part of the world’s oldest working steam-powered pumping station. These engines played a vital role in keeping the canal flowing over the summit near here, and they’re a brilliant glimpse into industrial heritage.
Our walk continued to Wilton Windmill, a beautifully restored windmill and the only working windmill in Wessex that still produces flour using traditional methods. From there, it was back to Marlborough for final goodbyes after a weekend full of spring sunshine, sociable walking, and a journey through time.
Will you join our next adventure to Avebury and the North Wessex Downs?
