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rhythmaningI first came across Avebury by chance: I was driving from Oxford to Somerset about twenty years ago on a dark, foggy autumn day, and the most direct route to where we were going took us through the village. I hadn’t been expecting it: we came around the corner, and looming out of the dense fog were these large, impressive stones. We stopped and looked around; and it has been one of my favourite places ever since.
Heading between Bristol and Oxford, I took the opportunity to stop at Avebury, and take some pictures. It comprises several different sections of the stone circle – the site is cut through by two roads. Avebury is much less famous than Stonehenge, but it is much better to visit: you can walk amongst the stones, you can touch the stones (and, irritatingly, some people let their children climb on them!) – it is much more personal.
Avebury feels like a very special place; it is very basic, and it feels rooted deeply in the landscape and the land (and I don’t subscribe to any pagan views – it just feels special). I think it is where my fascination with standing stones started – and it is reminiscent a book I read as a child (I can’t remember if I am thinking of The Giant Under the Snow or The Ghost on the Hill - both by John Gordon), where stones – well, they’re not so much standing as moving - it was a very spooky book.
There are a lot of megalithic monuments near Avebury – the stones themselves are part of a large organised structure stretching a couple of miles towards Silbury Hill. On the way there, I passed the White Horse at Calne.
Heading between Bristol and Oxford, I took the opportunity to stop at Avebury, and take some pictures. It comprises several different sections of the stone circle – the site is cut through by two roads. Avebury is much less famous than Stonehenge, but it is much better to visit: you can walk amongst the stones, you can touch the stones (and, irritatingly, some people let their children climb on them!) – it is much more personal.
Avebury feels like a very special place; it is very basic, and it feels rooted deeply in the landscape and the land (and I don’t subscribe to any pagan views – it just feels special). I think it is where my fascination with standing stones started – and it is reminiscent a book I read as a child (I can’t remember if I am thinking of The Giant Under the Snow or The Ghost on the Hill - both by John Gordon), where stones – well, they’re not so much standing as moving - it was a very spooky book.
There are a lot of megalithic monuments near Avebury – the stones themselves are part of a large organised structure stretching a couple of miles towards Silbury Hill. On the way there, I passed the White Horse at Calne.
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Date: 2009-09-14 07:29 pm (UTC)