The B&B in which we stayed in the Lake District happened to have this coffee table book that compared famous/historical sites with lesser-known but similar sites throughout the world. One evening before bed as I was flipping through it I came across a comparison between Avebury and Stonehenge. I had never even heard of Avebury before. Mr X and I were planning on visiting Stonehenge in a day or two anyway. So naturally I was intrigued. The book went on to declare the Avebury stones the winner due to:
1) Far fewer crowds.
2) It's FREE. (Stonehenge would have cost us over $25 or something.)
3) You can actually walk in and around the stones whereas at Stonehenge you are restricted to a walking path that circles the prehistoric monument.
4) You can actually touch the stones at Avebury.
As it turns out Avebury is not particular far from Stonehenge. So Mr X and I decided to see them both to determine the credibility of this book.
First up, Avebury:
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| Mr X really liked this photo. I'm sure you can see why. |
Next, Stonehenge:
(Note: We opted not to pay since we'd already seen Avebury and all paying got you anyway was a crowded tour along a roped off path. The path would have gotten us much closer than the view from outside the fences but the outside-the-fence view afforded us a great picture of the entire site.)
The verdict? We agreed that since they are so close to each other, people should go ahead and see both. Stonehenge is more visually impressive both in the size of the stones and the structure that remains. But Avebury is large in the number of stones and the ground it covers, but it's very nice to be able to walk so close and touch the stones. Oh and that free part is a definite plus.
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