White Horses, Wiltshire
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The
Cherhill White Horse, near Avebury, Wiltshire county.
Not
as impressive as ancient stone circles perhaps, but various
White Horses canter over the Wiltshire
chalk hills around Avebury and Stonehenge and are good for a
brisk walk with no-problem access and great views.
Also
near Avebury is Silbury Hill, the
largest prehistoric man-made mound in Europe, a 40 metre high
grass-covered chalk dome, with a base diameter of 160 metres.
It is estimated that moving the half million tons of chalk to
construct the hill took 4 million man hours over 50 years. Silbury
Hill was probably a sacred mound dedicated to the Mother Earth
religion.
Climbing the mound is not permitted but photos are naturally
fine.
Adjacent
to Silbury Hill is West Kennet Long Barrow,
a restored Early Neolithic mound with five chambers leading
off a central gallery.
Carbon dated from about 3700 BC, the chambers and roof are built
from huge Sarsen stones. Recently high quality carved megaliths
have been found, one shaped like a human head in profile, one
like a skull and another like a sheep's head. It is thought
that the barrow is another tribute to the Earth Mother since
the entrance stone has an apparent 2 metre vulva carved on it
and the interior is womb-like, yet when in use in the lambing
season the sun would penetrate throughout the barrow, touching
first the skull, then a real child's skull and finally the profiled
human head.
Entry is free and reached from the main road [A4] by walking
up a short track.
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Pictures © Julian Loader