Avebury

The family will be fascinated by a trip to Avebury in Wiltshire, home to the largest prehistoric stone circle in the world and part of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site. Step back to the past as you explore the huge circular bank and ditch and inner circle of great standing stones.

Covering an area of over 28 acres, Avebury stone circle forms one of the most impressive prehistoric sites in Britain. It is one of six Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial sites in the locality, the others being Silbury Hill, West Kennet Avenue, West Kennet Long Barrow, The Sanctuary and Windmill Hill.

After walking around the standing stones, it’s well worth taking the family to visit the nearby Alexander Keiller Museum, which is divided into two galleries – the Stables Gallery and the Barn Gallery.

In the Stables Gallery visitors can see a fascinating range of archaeological finds from the locality. Animal skeletons dating from over 5,000 years ago are likely to be of particular interest to younger visitors. There are also flint tools and Neolithic pottery to see.

Then move on to the interactive displays and children’s area in the Barn Gallery. Kids will have a great time dressing up in Bronze Age clothes or making their own archaeological rubbing.

Take the opportunity to visit Avebury Manor while you are in the village. Find out about the people who have lived there since Tudor Times. The rooms have been designed to reflect particular historical periods. As much of the furniture and many objects have been recreated by modern craftsmen, children can actually lie on the beds or play snooker! Any gardeners in the family will enjoy a stroll around the delightful Manor Garden.

Please see the websites of the National Trust and English Heritage for opening times, charges and other details.