Avebury

Yes, my DH remembers that, too. They've been trying to come up with the funds to reroute or bury the road, but obviously nothing's come of it.

There are pictures out there that indicate Stonehenge as we know it was reassembled during the late 19th or early 20th C. I ran across a quite breathless conspiracy nutter's web site about it once.

Whatever the case, it just doesn't have quite the same eerie feel as many other artifacts in Wiltshire.

I am looking at going to Avebury (the other Stonehenge place) next month, but trains/buses don't go straight there. I am gathering that it's just a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. So, does anyone know where I should get a train/bus (whichever is quickest and cheapish) to from London

Cheapest buy-on-the-day is London (Waterloo) to TROWBRIDGE, from where the X49 bus runs every hour except on Sunday to Avebury.  And take time to see the area too 

We live in the area ... I used to be on here quite a bit ... good to see some long-established names still around.

If I was to shamelessly advertise, I would tell you about the hotel my (now dual national) wife and I run, and how wonderful Melksham is for Bath, Devizes, Avebury, White Horses, Lacock ... seriously, a lovely part of the country and well worth visiting!

Actually, my time this weekend is taken up with our campaign for better public transport.  Trowbridge (mentioned above) has 2 trains an our but our town of Melksham - just slightly smaller has just 2 round trips a day.  There's the 6.15 a.m. then the 6.45 ... p.m.  Anyone who know me and thinks we deserve more, please visit http://www.transwilts.org.uk/pledge.html ... anyone who thinks we have enough trains already, please keep quiet 

I agree with GrahamE and just about eveyone else--a wonderful area!  My first trip to the UK had many truly magical experiences including a picnic on a sunny June day inside the Avebury circle.

I can't resist adding some Avebury pictures ...








More pictures of Avebury and Devizes at:
http://www.wellho.net/mouth/2146_.html

And just a few miles away, Fox Talbot too the first reversal process photograph at Lacock Abbey:
http://www.wellho.net/mouth/2168_.html

Thanks so much for the info and the beautiful photos, GrahamE!! Are the areas around Avebury accessible by public transport, since I obviously won't have a car? I'd love to see the Abbey...

Oh, and I've already got a day trip to Bath booked. I'm getting more and more excited!! Only 13 days till I leave!!

Avebury is public transport accessible through the day on the hourly X49 service ... Trowbridge to Swindon (Shorter route and less frequent on Sunday). There are other buses too, but beware that Sunday is very limited service.

http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/leisureandculture/museumhistoryheritage/worldheritagesite/howtotraveltoavebury.htm

Lacock [Abbey] is only 10 miles from Avebury ... but by bus is a dogleg journey with a change (X49 Avebury to Trowbridge, 234 onwards, both hourly) and Lacock has no Sunday buses at all.

I appreciate you're on both a timescale and a budget ... so there may be compromises and you may look to find a cheap B&B.

We actually came up with a Wiltshire Travel Game - at
http://www.wellho.net/demo/game01.php
which shows the routes and challenges you to reach key places by throwing dice.   The map is broadly representative - Avebury towards the top right, Lackock to the left of it between Melksham and Chippenham.

You may have gathered that this is 'our sort of thing' ... many weeks, we have visitors stay with us who are working at Melksham businesses and want to know what to do in an evening and / or on their final day before they fly back our of the country.  For our guests, we can occasionally give them a lift to help with connections. Please feel free to email me (details on our web site / see my .sig) with specific time slots you would be a round if you would like a suggestion.