Stonehenge and Avebury

We finished up our trip down south by driving to see Stonehenge. Friends of our from here had warned us that it wasn't quite as impressive as they had hoped because it just sits there on the side of the highway. But, we didn't feel that way at all. As we approached and spotted Stonehenge, we both became very excited. Now passing that enthusiasm onto the kids wasn't quite as easy.....

When we arrived, we were all supplied with headphones to listen to some background information about Stonehenge. Unfortunately, the cold, rainy weather was quite a distraction. We certainly didn't feel like lingering. But we did learn and observe a few new things like: Did you know that there were three construction periods to build the stone portion of Stonehenge? We were also able to observe the "tongue & groove" method that was used to hold the top stones in place (you can see an example in this picture on top of the tallest stone). I had previously learned that these stones were brought here from hundreds of miles away, but it was quite another thing to see the stones and consider that fact. We also learned that the circle serves as a calendar of sorts.We were also able to observe other stones outside the circle that had significance (like the slaughter stone), and the mounds that were scattered throughout the surrounding area (they looked like man-made hills). Driving away, we spotted a house that had a mound in the front yard and one in the back! I wish I had taken a picture.... ah, the mystery!

After our time at Stonehenge, we drove about 45 minutes north to another stone circle that predates Stonehenge by 500 years, called Avebury. (When we got there and told the kids what we were doing, Tim whined, "Another stone circle??!!" What a very terrible life he has!)

Here the stones are not roped off, so the kids could get an up close look. This stone circle is much larger than Stonehenge, and actually surrounds the whole village. In fact, it is the only stone circle in the world that has a pub within it! Here are a few up-close pictures, and I found this picture on-line. The aerial perspective shows how large this circle really is. We had a great trip. There was a lot of driving and a lot of whining and a lot of money spent, but it's always worth it. My kids have seen Stonehenge. I really have to pinch myself sometimes!