Page 86 - Cork & Tee Sample Program Flipbook, 2018

Established between 2850 and 2200 B.C., the Avebury henge is located across a broad space of
nearly 300 acres, including part
of the tiny village of the same
name. The great circle consists
of a grass-covered, chalk-stone
bank that is 1396 feet in
diameter and 20 feet high with a
deep inner ditch. The sarsen
stones, ranging in height from
nine to more than twenty feet
and weighing as much as 40
tons, were first hewn from bedrock and then dragged or sledded a distance of nearly two miles
from their quarry site. From excavation and soil resistivity studies it is known that the three rings
originally contained at least 154 stones, of which only 36 remain standing today. There are three
reasons for the disappearance of these stones. In the fourteenth century, and perhaps earlier, the
local Christian authorities, in their continuing effort to eradicate any vestiges of pagan religious
practices, toppled, broke up and buried
many stones. Later, in the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries, still more of the
remaining stones were removed from
their foundations. Wealthy archaeologist
Alexander Keller excavated the site in the
1930s. A small village museum named
after him displays numerous artifacts
discovered during the work. We’ll
arrange for a private guide to meet you
and lead your visit at Avebury.

After your tour and based on timing of the day, continue 40 min to idyllic Castle Combe, which
many people consider to be England’s prettiest village. Enjoy lunch in this hamlet, which
resembles a Cotswold village (it technically is not located in the Cotswolds) and has been
featured regularly as a film location, most recently in The Wolf Man, Stardust, and Stephen
Spielberg’s War Horse. It was also used in the original Dr. Doolittle film. The village has a rich
history and the houses are made up of the honey- colored Cotswold stone, typical for a village of
this area.

From Castle Combe, continue 15 min to your accommodations, where we recommend dinner on
property. We will provide detailed dining recommendations and confirm bookings based on your
preferences throughout your program.

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