Avebury - World Heritage Site

The entire village of Avebury in Wiltshire has been named a World Heritage site by UNESCO. This is due to the incredibly large henge that encompasses a good part of the village. In fact a number of roads go through the henge.

Within a mile or two of Avebury are two other neolithic structures. West Kennet Long Barrow is a 5-chambered barrow at the top of a hill on a local farm and Silbury Hill, a 130-foot man-made hill.

F-15's!

I went to RAF Lakenheath for a doctor's consultation for my knee ( torn ACL - see this post for a description of when I first injured it) on the 8th of August. After the appointment was over I drove to the observation parking lot outside of the base and watched the F-15's take-off and land. Very noisy!

All Saints Church in Croughton

I finally went to All Saints Church in Croughton. It's listed in the 1000 Best English Churches book for the medieval wall paintings that we re-discovered in the 1920's. These paints covered both sides of the church.

Tintagel

A friend and I, while our families are away, took the plunge and drove to Tintagel. The city is famous for the castle ruins that are supposedly the remains of Camelot. It was claimed by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century that the castle at Tintagel Head was where King Uther Pendragon seduced Queen Igraine of Cornwall, while her husband, Gorlois, was under siege elsewhere.

Not much remains of the castle except a few standing walls and many lesser remains. The view from the rock was simply amazing: waves crashing against the rocks below, the wind whipping across the remains. The steps to access the castle were very steep and, even though it was a cool day, we were sweating when done. Below the castle remains is a cave that cuts completely through the head. It is called "Merlin's Cave" because Merlin supposedly lived in a cave below the castle.