People have asked why I chose Avebury for the setting of my novels and not Stone Henge.
The Avebury Circles are far older and the site, much larger than Stone Henge. It is also joined to the 'Sanctuary,' (A second smaller circle,) by the West Kennet Avenue, which comprises of a row of one hundred pair of standing stones. In my mind’s eye I could visualise the ceremonial processions, the Pagan rituals, the gatherings of the clans, the hunter gathers meeting up, once, maybe twice a year to pay tribute to their Gods.
Like the Stone Henge in Wiltshire, it too has been decimated. Its stones removed and re-used for housebuilding over the centuries. It was also closer to Glastonbury and the Tor, which in the past was the fabled Isle of Avalon. Here the early Celts, Pagans and Druids lived in safety protected by the marshes and swampland that deterred aggressors for millennium.
It is a magical place. A place of wonder, the ideal place for Fantasy.
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