W27 Information

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AVEBURY to WINDMILL HILL

Waypoint	Map Reference	Bearing to next waypoint
START	SU 0996 6964	23.4
WP1	SU 1006 6993	267.3
WP2	SU 0973 6988	272.9
WP3	SU 0924 6986	276.2
WP4	SU 0891 6987	296.6
WP5	SU 0769 7037	40.8
WP6	SU 0796 7074	38.6
WP7	SU 0849 7152	115.6
WP8	SU 0891 7135	108.0
WP9	SU 0972 7116	185.7
WP10	SU 0970 6989	122.5
WP2	SU 0973 6988	87.2
WP1	SU 1066 6993	203.5
START	SU 0996 6964	-

General:- This 4.8 mile route has been added after numerous requests for a short walk from the Avebury stone circle to Windmill Hill. The walk is pleasant enough but I found the landscape a bit flat and very little of interest at the hill itself. In all but a perfect summers day the hill has a bleak mysterious air about it and this is a clue to its main attraction - crop circles. Go to www.temporarytemples.co.uk and scroll down the pictures on the right till you come Windmill Hill and you will see what I mean. Yes, you are in the centre of crop circle country.

The main features of the hill itself are three concentric earth ditches from the Neolithic period around 3,600 - 3,300 years BC. Now very little of the original site is visible, most of whet you can see is the result of many archaeological digs. Although the site itself is not impressive the artefacts found here are the most important in the UK and form the corner stone of Neolithic archaeology.

There is a manor house with the remains of a moat ( now empty) on the left just before Wp3. (GPS length 4.56 miles). The Red Lion Pub is at the eastern end of the High Street and there is a vegetarian cafe next to the Barn the end.

How to get there: From the south you leave the A4 at Beckhampton taking the A4361 to Swindon. After 0.8 miles park in the National Trust car park on the left. From the north leave the M4 at junction 16 on the A4361, Travel 9.6 miles passing through Avebury to the car park on your right soon after.