AVEBURY STONE CIRCLE
Avebury Stone circle was constructed around 2600BC and the Stones of Avebury have been designated a world heritage site. There is more information at this website.
Whilst Stonehenge is now cordoned off and you can’t get too close, at Avebury you can get right up to the stones, feel the texture and even give them a hug! There is a National Trust shop, restaurant and archaeological museum can be found in the village centre. The pubs are good too!
The Avebury complex has several ancient features in close proximity although most people focus on the biggest stone circle which was “restored” in Victorian times. Most of the original stones were buried or used for building in medieval times because during that period people thought that the stones held evil spirits. This cache offers the opportunity to walk through some interesting and beautiful places.
WINDMILL HILL
This cache is in a quiet and beautiful location, just outside the Neolithic location of Windmill Hill. Windmill Hill was built around 3675 BC, when the enclosure was constructed, and remained in use until around 2500 BC. When I placed the nearby cache in 2002, this was a typical remote location for a geocache. Unfortunately it now doesn't get many visitors because there are no others nearby, hence this addition.
Windmill Hill was a settlement and has three concentric ditches, each of which would originally have had a bank next to it. Large numbers of sheep and cattle were killed and eaten on site, possibly as part of festivals, a market, or a site for ritual feasts. After it fell out of regular use, it was used as a Bronze Age burial site complete with barrows that can still be seen. It is a very impressive hill-fort and offers views over Avebury and the stone circle to Silbury Hill (which is the largest man-made hill in Europe).
The Orange Ones may be pleased to learn that this cache is a "typical" Wombles hide which involves a decent walk up a hill. It's a good dog walk though 😉