The Ladies of Stone.docVIP

The Ladies of Stone 　　Britains Oldest Road 　　A friend and I recently cycled the Ridgeway，which follows a ridge of chalk hills from the small town of Streatley on the River Thames to the village of Avebury in Wiltshire.Unlike many countries in Eu rope，including Scotland，people are not allowed to walk wherever they like in the countryside of England and Wales.We can only use footpaths and so forth，which have been specially marked.The Ridgeway is thought of as Britains oldest road，a great deal older than our many Roman roads.Although the Ridgeway passes through some of the most beautiful countryside in southern England，the thing I remember most about our trip was the stone circle in the middle of Avebury. 　　Rocky Neighbours 　　Avebury isnt far from the more famous Stonehenge.What is striking about it is that the village has grown up around the stones. Stonehenge，however，stands alone on a plain.Aveburys outer circle is the largest in Europe and there are two smaller ones inside.They are all surrounded by a henge，a circular ditch and a raised bank.The village first began in mediaeval times；from then on，people used many of the stones for buildings，or destroyed them because of their religious beliefs.Now its cared for by the National Trust. 　　Are Avebury and Stonehenge the Only Ones？ 　　Avebury and Stonehenge are just two of about l，300 stone circles scattered all over the UK.Many of them are in fantastic locations，like Castlerigg in Cumbria，from which you can see Englands highest mountains；and the Ring of Brogdar in the beautiful Orkney lSlands off Scotlands northern coast. 　　Stone Circles Through History 　　Some of them are UNESCO World Heritage sites，and several have local stories associated with them.For example，the Merry Maidens in West Cornwall are a group of nineteen stones.According to legend they were originally young women-maidens-who were turned into stone for dancing on a Sunday.This story could reflect the conflict between Christianity and the earlier