The Avebury circle is the largest in the world (about 1/4 mile across), dating from around 2600BC. As our tour guide put it, "If Stonehenge is a mystery, then Avebury is a complete bafflement." It's more than merely a stone circle, as well: a rampart, steep ditch, and a couple avenues of stones leading away from the circle. Many of the stones have been lost over the years, and in the 1930s Alexander Keiller placed concrete markers on many of their former locations.

It's a very accessible site, as the village of Avebury has encroached into the circle over the years. Sheep wander about it freely, so we needed to watch our step. There's also a pub, the Red Lion, inside the circle - the world's only pub in such a location.

portion of the circle to the left of the road
portion of the circle to the right of the road, seen from atop the rampart
view of the ditch from the top of the rampart
the stone known as the Devil's Armchair, seen from the rampart
me, seated in the Devil's Armchair
view from the center of the circle
view over the center of the circle
stones along one of the avenues leading out of the circle
the Red Lion Pub (note the thatched roof)
me, enjoying a pint inside the Red Lion

While I was here, I tried my hand at dowsing with some rods that the tour guide had brought along. While some of the other people on the tour claimed to have felt a pull when they did it, I can honestly say that the movements of the rods in my hand felt completely random, a simple slight shifting of balance points due to my own movement.