avebury map

Although the map only highlights the well-known features of Avebury the whole area contains an abundance of lesser sites relating to the Neolithic and Bronze-Age periods. The Ridgeway which skirts the side of the Sanctuary was one of the main trade routes in the British Isles at that time. Without visiting the area it is difficult to fully appreciate the awesome scale of the monuments as they relate to the surrounding landscape.

A number of springs exist in the area of Avebury which must have had great significance to the builders of the monuments. Midway between Silbury Hill and the West Kennet Long Barrow Swallowhead Spring is marked prominently on the older maps shown below. Many visitors to the area still make a pilgrimage to this revered place on the stream that feeds the River Kennet. In recent years it has become a repository for a variety of "offerings". Unfortunately some of the less bio-degradable can give this picturesque spot the appearance of a rubbish tip on occasions.