Fancy a walk?

 

Avebury, Wiltshire 

Surrounded by books, notebooks, pens and the new all singing, all dancing MacBook, I'm ready to write.  Emm ... but what about?  News? Events? Photos? Picture prompts? Some days the creative juices flow well, other days not! Today, It’s a wild and wet day so I contemplate transporting myself to somewhere else … 

 

‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ … so I grab my mobile phone in search of inspiring pictures and sunnier days of rambling in the countryside.  There are pictures of garden visits, walks walked, family weddings and events attended over the years.  Unfortunately, fewer family gatherings this year as we continue to abide by Covid pandemic rules and restrictions.

 

The picture that speaks to me today is one of a series of photos taken when The Man and I visited Avebury henge and stone circles, in Wiltshire several weeks ago.  Despite a relatively busy car park, there was ample space to walk at our leisure, exploring these magnificent neolithic stone structures. Records indicate that the henge and stone circles were built between 2850 BC and 2200 BC.  The site, henge and stone circles are currently managed by the National Trust on behalf of English Heritage. It’s remarkable walking around and admiring these huge structures.  How were they built?  What was the significance of these formations?  Who was responsible?  Who commissioned henge architecture?  Did they know such pieces would continue to be viewed many years later?  What was life like back in those Neolithic days?  How were the various stones moved from place to place?

 

'The chronology of Avebury's construction is unclear.  It was not designed as a single monument but was the result of various projects undertaken at different times during late prehistory.  Experts date the construction of the central cove to 3,000 BCE, the inner stone circle to 2,900BCE, the outer circle and henge to 2,600 BCE, and the avenues to 2,400 BCE.  The construction of Avebury and Stonehenge indicate that a stable agrarian economy had developed in this region of England by 4000 to 3500 BCE'.

Source: Lumen Learning 

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/the-neolithic-period/

 

Avebury, my amateur snapshot speaks words of relaxation, history, awe, amazement, time travel, incredible structures.

 Walking boots and a picnic complete the perfect day ... far from the madding crowd.