We are the Winchester Ramblers. We open the way for everyone in our local community to enjoy the pleasures of walking.
Richard E.
This walk will follow the River Avon South from Amesbury, past Ogbury Bronze Age Camp along the Sarsen Way, before heading northwards up Lake Bottom and past the vast cluster of prehistoric burial mounds on Normanton Down as Stonehenge appears ahead of us across the A303.
Crossing the round, we will walk within 100m of Stonehenge itself before heading down the 4,000 year old Avenue which leads us west to the Kings Barrows that overlook the Stonehenge landscape.
Heading past the ancient Cuckoo Stone to see the markers of Woodhenge, we will then follow the former military railway line back to Amesbury.
There will be plenty of stops to view the incredible Stonehenge landscape from different viewpoints, including the remarkable Bronze Age cemetry of 35 barrows on Normanton Down, including long barrows and rare cursus barrows. This is an area that very few visitors to Stonehenge see, along with the two groups of Kings Barrows that are normally only viewed from a distance, but that we will be able to see up close, with Stonehenge in the background.
There will then be a chance to see Woodhenge and the view from there across Durrington Walls Henge, where it is estimated that 4,500 years ago perhaps 4,000 people lived in what would have been the largest settlement in Northern Europe at the time.
On this walk we will see much more of the ancient landscape than paying visitors do, and we will come within metres of the iconic stone circle.
Do remember that this area is very exposed, so please dress warmly. Bring a flask with a warm drink and a snack, and something to eat for lunch. There are no toilet facilities or cafes along this route, except at the start / finish point.
At the entrance to the Central Car Park in Amesbury, by the "Celtic Cross"
