Avebury

Avebury holds the largest prehistoric stone circle in the world, raised in the third millennium BC inside a henge bank and ditch over 1,000 metres round, with two smaller circles inside and part of the village within the earthwork. Of roughly 98 sarsens, medieval villagers toppled and buried many; a barber-surgeon crushed under one in the 1320s was found with his scissors and coins. Alexander Keiller excavated and re-erected the stones in the 1930s, and his finds fill the Stables museum. Unlike Stonehenge you can walk among the stones from dawn to dusk for free, follow the West Kennet Avenue towards Silbury Hill, or join a volunteer-led circle tour. Dogs on leads are welcome outside the manor and Circles Cafe. Reviewers call it a good day out combined with the manor. Tips from visitors: National Trust and English Heritage members park free, and wear proper footwear after rain as the henge is uneven.