We're planning a day at the major stone circles in late June, doing both Stonehenge and Avebury on the same day, and wondering which one to do in the morning, and which one in the late afternoon.
I have a bad attitude about big crowds of tourists (and yes, I recognize the irony there - at least I admit it), so I'm prepared to be a little bummed out at Stonehenge (not at the monument itself, just the crowds), and hoping for a better, less compromised experience at Avebury.
My usual strategy for dealing with a popular site that is being loved-to-death is to try to be there early and late, as in my experience the worst of the crowds are usually day trippers who predictably arrive 9-10 am and depart 3-4 pm, so outside those hours, you can often still have a decent experience even at a popular attraction (and the light is often better for photos anyway). During the middle of the day, I'm better off relaxing somewhere else, or moving on to the next too-popular place.
We will be getting up v-e-r-y early that day in central London, and will head west out of the city proper via public transportation, then pick up our rental car somewhere west of London. Exact location TBD, but I want to get an early start so we can arrive at the first stone circle early enough to beat most day-trippers. We will end the day somewhere near/around either Salisbury/Avebury (also still TBD).
Given those parameters, can anyone suggest the best strategy for doing these two sites, in which order? One of them will be in the morning, the other will be in the evening.
Thanks!