The Sanctuary Circle
The Sanctuary Circle
3.5
Historic SitesAncient RuinsPoints of Interest & LandmarksMysterious SitesReligious Sites
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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3.5
3.5 of 5 bubbles31 reviews
Excellent
8
Very good
9
Average
8
Poor
3
Terrible
3

EvilSpud
Amesbury, UK232 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2019 • Solo
It's true there is little to see here of what once was. But as anyone whose ever had a garden fence knows, wood part burried in the ground rots away eventually. And the stone? Most likely is now part of the walls of someone's home.

But thanks to a great deal of work in the 1930s we now have some idea of what was here. And you need to have a view of the wider area to appreciate it all.

The Sanctuary was in essence a small stone and wood circle built within a larger stone and wood circle, connected by West Kennet Avenue, via Silbury Hill down to what is now Avebury, where you will find two small stone circles inside a massive stone circle, the scale of which makes stonehenge look a bit pathetic. These aren't supposed to be taken in isolation. And walking down the avenue gives a much greater feel for the area, as opposed to driving past it.

The site is important but little remains to let us know what was there. If you cross the road you'll find the remnants of a few burial mounds if you'd like to see a little more.

Parking is free at the side of the A4 and you can walk the mile and a half into Avebury. It's the only worthwhile way of seeing the area. There's no shop, no facilities in fact not a lot there.
Written February 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Matthew C
London, UK198 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2017 • Couples
The basics of the Sanctuary Circle are very interesting, particularly in relation to how it may have functioned alongside all the other neolithic elements around Avebury. However the information provided on the site is so limited as to be almost useless - if you want to get anything out of the site you must have done some reading or research beforehand - or know someone who has. The site was obviously tightly related to the Avebury Circle and the avenue of stone leading to it, and so you will get most out of the site if you see them all in one outing. I would definitely go again, but I would certainly do more advance research to make the site more undertandable.
Written September 19, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mark P
Daaden, Germany74 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2016 • Couples
Nothing spectacular to look at here unlike Avebury. Simply put it is a field with the Sanctuary Circle marked out on the ground, when they excavated it they found 162 post holes and it these that are marked out. That said it is close to the nearby sites of Silbury Hill, West Kennet Long Barrow and Avebury so if you are visiting them you may as well visit here as you have to pass it anyway
Written September 7, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

chickandbeast
Southgate, Canada8,553 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2016 • Couples
Free site near Avebury which may explain the lack of signage you could easily miss it. This had stone markers in the field in concentric circles not huge stones.
4500 years old still worth a trek
Written August 15, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Herbie-Green
Guildford, UK2,319 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023
Great piece of archaeology, enabling us to envisage what the henge would have looked like. OK, there are no stones or posts there now, but the markers set up to show it off are great in placing the site on the landscape and the proximity to Silbury Hill, W Kennet Long Barrow and of course to Kennet Avenue marching NW to Avebury Henge.
Written March 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

r t
Bromsgrove, UK692 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022
Circle of stones, a very curious place but well worth a visit. A couple of signs with details about the circles
Written October 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jo M
Dorking, UK182 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019 • Couples
Blocks of concrete show where the stones and wood would have been. Low level. Easily missed from the road/car park. Free. Good guide boarsd about the origins & structure. Would be nice to have a more realistic structure.
Written June 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Strictly-5-Star
Shepton Mallet, UK401 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2019 • Couples
I see that some reviews are a bit negative, just a load of concrete blocks, personally I find places like this fascinating and probably to expand the mind a bit, try to think of the whole area and not just the 'concrete blocks' in isolation.

If you are doing the 'tour' you should not miss this.
Written March 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

KevinSadler2364
Leicester, UK1,267 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2018 • Friends
Sitting just beside the A4 The Sanctuary Circle has a wonderful history. Lost for centuries, it was re-discovered during an archialogical dog and much has been learnt about Iron Age man
Written September 27, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dren W
Houghton Regis, UK252 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2018 • Couples
Found as part of West Kennett Barrow and Silbury Hill, concrete blocks mark locations of sarcen stones and post represents wooden posts, all to form part of a large construction. Views are interesting as opposite carpark are 4 smaller burial mounds. Crossing road from carpark is bit hazardous as your on the brow of a hill and a bend and the cars aren't going slow either!
Written September 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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The Sanctuary Circle, Avebury

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The Sanctuary Circle is open:
  • Sun - Sat 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM