Thursday 7 July 2011

Stonehenge National Trust Walks and Scenery.


King Barrow Ridge at dusk
© National Trust / Lucy Evershed
Stonehenge Landscape
West of Amesbury on Salisbury Plain in south Wiltshire
Walk in the steps of our ancestors at one of the world's best-preserved prehistoric sites
 
Don't miss
  • Great views of the famous Stonehenge circle
  • Mysterious ceremonial landscape of ancient burial mounds, processional walkways and enclosures
  • Haven for wildlife, from brown hare and butterflies, to birds such as the skylark
  • Colourful displays of downland wildflowers in June and July
Stonehenge Down
The long grassland shrouded in mist at Stonehenge Down. © NT / Margriet van Vianen
Home to skylark and brown hare, Stonehenge Down is a wide open landscape with fine views of the famous stone circle. From here you can also explore Bronze Age barrow cemeteries and prehistoric monuments, such as the Stonehenge Avenue and the mysterious Cursus.SU125425
King Barrow Ridge
Here Bronze Age burial mounds stand among impressive beech trees, with views of Stonehenge and the downs. The hazel coppice provides shelter for wildlife along the ridge, while in summer, chalk downland flora attracts butterflies such as the marbled white.SU134423
King Barrow Ridge on a beautiful summer's day. © NT / Lucy Evershed
Normanton Down
Normanton Down on a bright summer's day, showing a field of daisies in the foreground. © NT / Margriet van Vianen
Normanton Down offers one of the best approaches to the stone circle. The round barrow cemetery dates from around 2600 to 1600BC and is one of the most remarkable groups of burial mounds in the Stonehenge landscape. The downland and arable fields here are home to a variety of farmland birds such as corn bunting and stonechat.SU117415
Durrington Walls
In 2005 Durrington Walls was revealed to be the site of a rare Neolithic village, with evidence of shrines and feasting. You can still see some of the banks of this circular earthwork, the largest complete 'henge' in Europe. Post holes show that there were large timber structures here, like those at nearby Woodhenge.SU150437
The red and gold hues of autumn at Durrington Walls. © NT / Stephen Fisher
Winterbourne Stoke Barrows
The Chalkhill Blue, common to chalk grassland, can be seen in the summer months. © NT / Margriet van Vianen
Another fascinating example of a prehistoric cemetery. The wide range of barrow shapes found here show that this site was used over a long period of time for burials of people of high status. Newly sown chalk downland flora covers the landscape - look out for brown hares too. SU101417