Avebury

[poliphilo]

I calculated the distance at 30 miles but  it turned out to be more like 60 and the light was going by the time we reached Avebury. Unlike Stonehenge- the worst managed tourist attraction in the country- Avebury attracts only those who care for her- and the magic is unspoiled.

Comments

[oakmouse]

Beautiful shots! You really capture the massive presence of the stones.

*wants to be back in Avebury so bad it hurts*

[sorenr.livejournal.com]

Avebury is magical. I was not impressed - nor un-impressed - by Stonehenge, but Avebury blew me away. The sheer size and raw, unmitigated force of the stones was awe-inspiring, and I want to see it again.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

You sort of feel- walking round- that each one has its own personality

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Stonehenge- as it is now- is a disgrace. It's a national icon and world heritage site- and the facilities are horrid and the busy road runs far too close. I last went there in '91 and don't intend to return until things change.

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

Stonehenge left me cold. Avebury on the other hand ......

[internet-sampo.livejournal.com]

Happy B-Day!

I'm enjoying your photos from you trip, but they're ruined one image I had of England. I, for some reason, imagined Glastonbury and other sites to be very popular. From your photos it seems that they're sparsely visited, like the native american earthworks sites. For example, my wife and I visited Serpent Mound in Ohio several years ago and you can see that we're almost the only people there on a nice August weekend afternoon --http://www.flickr.com/gp/82081265@N00/u73b44

[sovay]

That is elemental.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Stonehenge is a national disgrace. They need to divert the road, rebuild the tourist facilities at a goodly distance, re-landscape the site.......

[shullie.livejournal.com]

i got a real buzz @ Stonehenge.. but I agree it as to close to the road... I can't wait to go to Avebury...we keep planning it but something happens to stop us. I have some friends who said they got so much from it.. both negative and good...1 friend said that it really disturbed her...

many years I go I had a vision and described a place... which some have said was Avebury.. so I am keen to go see..

We have the time at the moment as Lou is out of work... but no funds....lol oh well when the time is right!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

Ah well, we're out of season aren't we. Glastonbury at the height of summer gets full of people. Even on an early morning in January there were a number of us up on the Tor- including a woman out walking with her grand-daughter and little dog and a guy sitting with his back to the tower in the lotus position.

[shullie.livejournal.com]

wow it looks wonderful...

[msjann65.livejournal.com]

Perhaps these places are better when discovered only by the few who love them, rather than by the thundering herd who believe it's the "in" thing to do.
I was disappointed to read the comments on how Stonehenge has become a not-too-well-maintained tourist trap, but gratified to see that Avebury remains untouched.
There are some sites here in the US that once "discovered" by the money boys became eyesores or/and adjuncts to a massive amusement park. Then there are others, off the beaten path, like the Ohio Serpent Mound mentioned by ievil spock 470i, above, which remain unspoiled.
Me? When I set foot on an ancient site I get feelings I cannot describe, but I know that the place is genuine. The TRUE Gallows Hill in Salem Massachusetts is one of them. (Not the big hill that bears the name today, but a smaller one that is mostly in someone's back yard).

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

People have weird experiences at Avebury- and there's one stone- I've no idea which- which is said to have a really bad vibe.

You get a real sense of continuity- of layers of time. There's the Henge- and then there's the "modern" village with its medieval church and Jacobethan manor house. It's astonishing that people actually live there- with the stones as their neighbours

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Avebury is not only a prehistoric henge but also a "modern" village- with a medieval church and old manor house. It's not just a site that draws visitors but a place where people live and work.

That keeps it real I think.

In summer it gets busy but on a chilly evening in late January you can have it pretty much all to yourself.

[mummm.livejournal.com]

You are a great teacher and I love the photos! I like the low light. It makes them more mystical.

[oakmouse]

Very much so. They're distinct individuals.

I'd love to know what you think of West Kennet, speaking of personalities!

[oakmouse]

Probably the Devil's Chair, I'd guess. It's had a bad rep for centuries. Although one of the stones in the *thinks hard to remember directions* Northeastern quadrant? --- the area that had most of the stones removed, anyway --- is pretty crabby and doesn't like people much.

[saare-snowqueen.livejournal.com]

I was there in a rainy-ish April, many years ago. The rain stopped for long enough so that I could have a look around and then started up again - almost as if it was driving my into the pub. I had a wonderful afternoon in there talking to the regulars before catching the bus back to Winchester where I was staying. BUT that was ....30? years ago. I remember it as if it were yesterday. Loved the photos - thank you.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I wonder if the crabby one is the stone in my second picture? It certainly looks disagreeable- in a somewhat comical manner.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

As for the low light- well- one makes the best of what one's got. It would have been good to spend a whole day there and photograph the stones in all sorts of different lights.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

My first visit to Glastonbury was 40 years ago- and it's still vivid. Time is an illusion.

[mummm.livejournal.com]

That just leaves a good reason to return soon!

[oakmouse]

Not sure; I'd need to see it in a wider shot that showed more of its background. My own 5 rolls of pics from Avebury are packed away right now so I can't go look at them to check. It's been four and a half years so I don't trust unaided memory!