Sarsen Route Across the Pewsey Vale

The Sarsens of Stonehenge

Donald A. E. Cross

The Geographical Journal
Vol. 128, No. 1 (Mar., 1962), p. 127
Published by: Wiley
Article Stable URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/1794182

.... As regards Dr. Hill’s suggested land route from the crest of the Marlborough Downs to the river Avon near Upavon across the Vale, I would prefer route A—B down the scarp at Walker’s Hill rather than that above Huish because I would venture to suggest a more appropriate trans-valley route than either Atkinson’s or the author’s. This would be a route down Walker’s Hill to Alton Priors, very cLose to the line of the Ridge Way (which here has come across the Downs by Avebury and East Kennett), then west of Woodborough Hill to Honeystreet Farm, past Woodborough, Broad Street and Gores along the line of the present minor road to meet the western tributary of the Avon near Cuttenham Farm, just below Wilsford. This route is along a broad well- drained ridge at between 370—350 feet O.D. and follows the route by which the Ridge Way itself crossed the valley. It would seem logical that the stones should be trans ported along an established valley route rather than by hacking out a new route to the east which also involved an additional crossing of the Avon near Manningford...

DONALD A. E. CROSS
West Oxfordshìre Technical College
Witney Lecturer in Geography
21 January 1962


(A citation I had previously overlooked which concurs with my publication -
Map of the sarsen route to Stonehenge - The Origin Of The Stonehenge Sarsens leaflet (ISBN 9780957093003)