Woodhenge and Durrington Walls to Stonehenge and back in a Misty Landscape.

The entrance to "Woodhenge," and the reconstructed positions of the former posts.

I spent the weekend walking, and walking further than I would normally go in two days!   I met friends in Salisbury, and we drove out together on a misty Saturday morning to Woodhenge, a Neolithic site, where the former post holes have been replaced with concrete stumps.  No one really knows what the site was used for, but it is nice to stand and ponder,  and imagine what our forefathers did here.  Did they worship the gods?  Did the posts hold up a large roof?  Was the site for ceremonial purposes?   Frustratingly, we will never really know.

Durrington Walls

We walked around Durrington Walls, the recently excavated site of a large Neolithic settlement.  It is thought that maybe the people who constructed Stonehenge, just a few miles from here, might have lived on this site.

Durrington Walls in the snow, with Neolithic huts and henges.

This picture was on one of the many excellent information boards.  It gives a good impression of how the site is thought to have looked thousands of years ago.  The standing posts of the henges can be seen in the foreground.

Walking along the Stonehenge Avenue.

Here my friends are walking towards a distant Stonehenge, hardly visible in the  morning mistiness.  It was a pity the sun did not shine on us, and our feet got very wet in the grass during our walk to the stones.

Stonehenge and its visitors.

The new visitor centre is now open about half a mile from here, and visitors reach the site in small jeep drawn buggies.  We could not access the site, but were able to see the stones over a wire fence,  and ponder one of the most visited historic places on planet earth.   We then retraced out steps, got back to the car at Woodhenge, and went home for a welcome cups of tea and biscuits.  An excellent walk I hope to repeat one of these days.