West Kennet Long Barrow: How to Visit, and the Avebury Tours That Stop There

The Avebury tours that stop at the long barrow

Three give you a full hour at the tomb, and two put the Stonehenge admission in the fare.

What the long barrow is

An earth mound just over 100 metres long and 3.2 metres high. A passage runs about 13 metres in, with five chambers off it, where excavators found the partial remains of at least 46 people, men and women of every age.

It is older than any part of Stonehenge, whose first ditch and bank date to about 3000 BC. The tomb stayed in use until around 2000 BC, when the passage was packed with rubble and the forecourt blocked with the sarsens you see as you arrive. It is part of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site; more facts about Avebury cover the rest of the landscape.

Can you go inside West Kennet Long Barrow?

Yes, and you can stand up once you are in: the chamber roofs sit 1.7 to 2.2 metres above the floor, rare in a long barrow. Between the great sarsens, the drystone walling is limestone carried from around Bath and Frome.

A Marlborough doctor named Toope dug out bones for medicines in the late seventeenth century. John Thurnam excavated in 1859, and Stuart Piggott and Richard Atkinson in 1955–56.

How to get to West Kennet Long Barrow on your own

• Address: West Kennett, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 1QH.
• Parking: free, in the signposted lay-by on the A4.
• The walk: half a mile uphill across farmland, signposted, about 10 to 15 minutes. The ground is uneven, so wear proper shoes and dress for the weather.
• Dogs: assistance dogs only.
• Facilities: none at the tomb. Toilets and a café are near the Alexander Keiller Museum in Avebury, which makes a good place to start.

For the roads and buses into the area, see getting to Avebury. Where the tomb fits into a self-drive day is set out in one day in the Avebury landscape.

Walking to the barrow from Avebury

The National Trust’s West Kennet Round takes you there on foot from the village.

• 6.5 miles (10.4 km), about 3 hours 30, graded challenging.
• Starts at the Old Farmyard and runs through the henge, along West Kennet Avenue to The Sanctuary, then up to the barrow.
• Returns past Silbury Hill to the National Trust car park.
• Crosses fast roads, and is uneven and muddy in places.

The guided days that reach the tomb, one by one

Most of these leave from London; every departure from the capital is on Avebury tours from London.

1. Anderson Tours day trip, from London

From Earl’s Court at 8:30am: two hours at Stonehenge with admission paid, two in the stone circle, forty-five minutes at the tomb. $134 per person, 4.7 from 237 reviews, free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. In heavy rain the barrow stop can be dropped. More on the Stonehenge and Avebury day trip from London.

2. Anderson Tours evening special access, from London

Two hours in the circle, one hour at the tomb, then evening special access at Stonehenge, tickets included. $213 per person, 4.9 from 84 reviews; a final sale, with no refund and no change of date.

3. Oldbury Tours private car, from Salisbury

A private car with pickup anywhere in Wiltshire: ninety minutes in the circle, forty minutes at the tomb, Silbury Hill, Old Sarum and two hours at Stonehenge. Entrance tickets are arranged with you, outside the fare. $509 per group, up to 6, 5.0 from 106 reviews, free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. Details on the bespoke private tour from Salisbury.

4. Exec Connect UK private day, from Salisbury

Six private hours: two at Stonehenge (fee extra), one in the circle and one hour at the tomb. $502 per person, 4.9 from 24 reviews, free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

5. Galahad Tours private day, from Bath

From your Bath hotel: two hours at Stonehenge (fee paid on arrival), ninety minutes in the circle, one hour at the tomb and Silbury Hill. $1,513 per group, up to 6, 5.0 from 3 reviews; a final sale, with no refund and no change of date. More departures on Avebury tours from Bath.

6. Archaeologist-led private day via Bath, from London

An archaeologist guides and a driver drives: Woodhenge, two hours at Stonehenge (fee extra), ninety minutes in Bath, forty-five minutes at the tomb and an hour in the circle. $1,781 per group, up to 6, 5.0 from 10 reviews, free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

7. Archaeologist-led private day via Salisbury, from London

The same format with Salisbury Cathedral in place of Bath; Stonehenge and cathedral fees extra. $1,781 per group, up to 6, 4.9 from 15 reviews, free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

Which tour gives you the longest at the tomb?

• One hour: Anderson Tours (evening), Exec Connect UK, Galahad Tours
• Forty-five minutes: Anderson Tours, Archaeologist Guided Tours (via Bath), Archaeologist Guided Tours (via Salisbury)
• Forty minutes: Oldbury Tours

If time at the stones matters more to you than the route, the Avebury private tours are the days where you can ask for longer.

When the barrow stop can be dropped

• Rain: on the Anderson day trip, the barrow visit may not go ahead in bad weather. Check Avebury weather for your month.
• Season: both archaeologist-led days visit the tomb only between 1 March and 31 October.
• No refund: the Galahad day and the Anderson evening tour are final sales.

What else to see beside the barrow

Silbury Hill is in plain view from outside the tomb. There is no public access to the hill, so you see it from the lay-by. Every Avebury stone circle tour in the table above gives you time inside the henge as well. For the rest of the area, see things to do at Avebury.

West Kennet Long Barrow: frequently asked questions