Like many people Covid -19 has led to quite a change in my World Heritage travelling, especially when coupled with two young children, as such the last two years have given me plenty of opportunities to get to know one of my local WHS in more detail, hopefully this run down of the broader site will be of use to others wanting to visit.

(Picture of the chamber inside West Kennet Long Barrow)

My Top 3 

1. Stonehenge
   Already covered in a lot of detail, iconic and the highlight of this inscription. 

   My most recent visits have enabled me to see the new visitor centre, which I think is a vast improvement, it also now means you get to walk or use a free shuttle bus to get to the stones. This actually helps the site feel more special, and gives a better sense of the whole landscape.
   A practical note, although the site is managed by English Heritage if you have a National Trust pass this will also get you free entry.

2. Avebury Stone Circle
   Whilst Stonehenge is the headline act, if you were to ask me which site I prefer I think I would say Avebury. It tends to be quieter (though still reasonably busy) and also you can get up and explore the stones very closely. Here it is also very easy to see the additional aspects of the neolithic landscape, the stone circle, the banked henge and avenue of stones are all very evident, next to each other and easy to explore in as much or as little detail as you choose.
   
   
3. West Kennet Longbarrow (Avebury cluster)
   Avebury has another ace up its sleeve in this lesser explored site 2km to the south of village. Set on top of a hill, this long mound of earth has an entrance leading to multiple chambers at one end. It isn’t quite to the quality seen at Newgrange or Antequera, but it is a really fascinating site to visit, for free just laying in the middle of a field in Wiltshire. If you have your own transport, or fancy a walk, this shouldn’t be missed if you are visiting the Avebury cluster.

Stonehenge cluster

• Woodhenge

This is now little more than some concrete pillars in a field, showing where the remains of a former woodhenge was discovered. It isn’t an essential component to visit, but it does give a good idea of how the monuments were designed and aligned. I always enjoy calling in here.

• Durrington Walls 

Next to Woodhenge is a seemingly nondescript field with some sheep in it. On closer inspection though you will see a massive earthen ring running around it. This is actually the second largest neolithic earthen enclosure in the UK. It is hard to really grasp its significance as a non specialist, however it certainly is impressive once you understand it is manmade.

• Stonehenge Cursus and Cursus Barrows

On your way between the visitor centre and the stone circle it is worth looking at the landscape and you will see an astonishing array of earthworks. This is one of the key successes of the new visitor set up, as it helps put the stone circle back into the context of a massive neolithic landscape. I haven’t explored the earth works specifically, however just seeing the huge amount really adds to the understanding of this site.

Getting there
If you have your own transport it is very easy to get to the new visitor centre. If you don’t then the easiest point of access is from Salisbury, where an hourly bus leaves for Stonhenge from outside the train station.

If you are in Salisbury it is really worth visiting the cathedral with its famous 123m spire, the tallest in the UK, impressive cloister and the best original copy of Magna Carta. On the way between Salisbury and Stonehenge it is well worth visiting Old Sarum, the original site of Salisbury and one of the UKs more notorious rotten boroughs.

Avebury cluster

In addition to Avebury and West Kennet long Barrow mentioned above there are a few other sites worth exploring.

• West Kennet Avenue

The henge at Avebury is huge and walking around the perimeter is well worth the effort, it will also lead you to this avenue of stones leading off towards West Kennet Long Barrow. As a spectacle it is rather simple (“just” a row of stones stretching over a hill), but it really does give a good sense of the shape and function of the site.

• Silbury Hill

Visually this man made hill is one of the most striking components of the whole site. It sits up very prominently across the road from West Kennet Long Barrow. It certainly is intriguing, however as a generalist tourist it doesn’t off much more as it is off limits to climbing.

• The Sanctuary

Worthy of a brief stop if you have your own transport, or are walking along the Ridgeway trail. It was formerly the site of a wood henge, but is now a series of concrete bollards in a field. Much like Woodhenge, but a little less interesting to this casual visitor.

• Windmill Hill

The largest known causeway enclosure in Britain, but not a huge amount to see for the casual visitor, one to skip unless you are a completionist.

• Red Lion Pub

A pretty reasonable English country pub, it serves decent fairly priced food and is welcoming to all the family (i.e. a handy children’s menu). There are better pubs to visit, but this is very handy and makes an excellent place for lunch, or to kill time with a pint of bitter whilst waiting for the bus that stops outside.

Getting there

Unfortunately there is no link direct between Stonehenge and Avebury by public transport, so if you don’t have your own transport the best access is from the town of Swindon, which is on the main routes from London to Cardiff by road and rail. It is a place that is occasionally the butt of jokes for being pretty nondescript and uninteresting (it’s most famous sight is a road junction). It does however have impressive railway heritage and the railway village was a core component of the former tentative site of the Great Western Railway.

Other world heritage related sites in the region

The doubly World Heritage inscribed City of Bath/ Spa Towns is one of the UK’s prime tourist destinations.

There are also several former tentative sites in the area

The wonderful village and abbey at Lacock is my favourite, though Stourhead is also worth a visit as one of the finest english landscape gardens (of equal to, if not better than, the inscribed Studley Royal). And from Salisbury it is just a short hop to The New Forest national park

Site 8: Experience 8