Avebury

We'd never visited the West Kennet Long Barrow and Clare was keen. The Barrow is nicer in the imagination than reality. Just an unassuming long bump on the top of a rise, the inside is even more disappointing, being quite truncated and showing only four or five (empty) burial chambers.

The furthermost space was occupied by four strange people when we arrived - one was tapping at a kind of small drum while the others were chanting, or droning or something. As the British do, we completely ignored them (I thought: 'druids!'). Leaving the Barrow I heard a truncated peal of laughter from inside so I suppose we were the targets of a practical joke.

There's a good view of Silbury Hill, which I wouldn't fancy constructing with just the neolithic versions of picks and shovels.

Silbury Hill

A grave chamber within West Kennet Long Barrow

The author and wife at the entrance to Avebury Manor

The amused wife

Inside the Manor: Clare is pensive

The author in his natural habitat

I just like slide rules ...

After we had moved on to Avebury itself and visited the Manor (National Trust) we finished with a trip to Swindon Hospital to see my mother, recovering from a hip breakage following a fall. She should be out on Monday but is increasingly frail.