If Trees Could Talk: How to Find the Avebury Trees
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It has come to my attention that people are traveling to Avebury to seek out the trees in the book. This is not surprising at all, but I realized that I haven’t really prepared people to find them, so this blog post is an attempt to fix that!
Four of the trees are at the top of Windmill Hill, two are at the Avebury stone circle, and one is about a 15 minute drive from Avebury in Alton Priors.
This is the first in my series of three blog posts about the trees who helped me write the book. You can find the other two here:
- If Trees Could Talk: How to Find the Savernake Trees
- If Trees Could Talk: How to Find the Surrey Trees (coming soon)
Windmill Hill Sycamore
Walk up to Windmill Hill from Avebury. There are two main ways to get there: through a couple of fields and up a hill, or along a farm track and up the other side. When you reach the top of the hill, you’ll see a huge field of sheep with various tumuli (round barrows). Toward the western edge of the site there is a little woodland, some of which is fenced in (ignore that bit).
You’ll see a big piece of old farm equipment at the edge of the woodland; enter it near that point. Not too far into the woodland you’ll see a large, multi-stemmed sycamore. This is the one! Photo above, so you can recognize the tree. If the sycamore is okay with it, you can climb in the middle and sit for a while as you connect with the tree.
The Three Witches
Not far from Windmill Hill Sycamore are the Three Witches. You’ll see the three of them standing together; two of them are touching roots. They’re easy to find!
You can sit up against their trunks as you connect with them; they’re very comfy.
The Four Knights
The Four Knights are very near the Three Witches; they sit at the edge of the little woodland. Like Windmill Hill Sycamore, they are a multi-stemmed sycamore. These are lovely, magical trees.
Windmill Hill Hawthorn
To find this tree, I’d suggest approaching Windmill Hill from the east rather than the southwest (there are two main ways to get to Windmill Hill from Avebury, which you can find on any OS Map). When you go through the gate into the Windmill Hill site, head to the right, away from the barrows. As you curve around the hill, you’ll see the hawthorn standing all alone. The tree is hard to miss, when you know where to look!
If coming from the other approach to Windmill Hill, walk along the wooded area, keeping it to your left. Curve around the hill, keeping the barrows on your right. You should see the hawthorn up ahead. Again, it’s the only tree on its own there, but it’s small and not visible from the main paths that people take through Windmill Hill.
Avebury Beeches
There are two big groups of beech trees in the southeast quadrant of the Avebury stone circle. One of the groves is usually adorned with brightly colored ribbons; they are used as wishing trees. These are not the beeches from the book. If you head around the ridge of that quadrant, you’ll come to another small grove of beech trees near West Kennett Avenue. These are the beeches from the book. The exact tree I spoke with has the name “Sam” carved into its trunk, among other things.
As a side note, be mindful of how you treat the Avebury trees (and other trees) when you visit them. As I discuss in my article Leave No Trace: Keeping Our Sacred Sites Free From Ritual Rubbish, it’s important to be mindful of how our ritual offerings impact the environment. In March 2024, a group of Avebury villagers spent a collective 24 hours clearing the offerings from the Avebury beeches. That’s a lot of work! The previous time they cleaned up the trees, it took them 28 hours. While it’s nice to make a wish in this way, and while the trees might look pretty decked with multicolored ribbons, they can be damaging to trees, and it takes locals many hours to remove them. Instead, think about giving the trees a drink of water as you make your wish.
Twin Sycamores
These trees are growing together: one large and one small sycamore. They’re located in the southeast quadrant of the stone circle. If you enter through the gate nearest the Red Lion pub and the shop Elements of Avebury, just head to your left, passing behind the chapel and the houses that line Green Street. Keep going until you see the two sycamores on your left. They’re right near the fence along Green Street.
Alton Priors Yew
The post code for Alton Priors is SN8 4LB. There isn’t parking near the church itself, but there’s a barn right on the road where I’ve seen other cars park, and where I’ve parked myself. However, I now prefer to park near Saint Mary’s Saxon church in Alton Barnes (post code SN8 4LB; there are signs to the “Saxon church”). Be sure not to block the farmer’s gate that’s next to the church, as they access the field regularly. Very few people park there, and it’s so close to the Alton Priors church that you can see it from the Alton Barnes one.
There is a network of stone pathways through the field. Go through the gate next to the Alton Barnes church, then walk down the stone path alongside the churchyard. Turn right when you reach the crossing of paths, and cross the little creek before coming out into the field where the Alton Priors church is located. Go into the churchyard, walk down the right side of the church, and you can’t miss the huge yew. Both churches are worth a visit, though Saint Mary’s church is often closed.
Read the stories from Avebury trees in If Trees Could Talk: Life Lessons from the Wisdom of the Woods. I’ve spent the last few years talking to trees – the birches, the oaks, the beeches and the sycamores. In this book, they tell their tales.
This book will encourage you to get back to Nature and turn to the magic and the wisdom of the trees. By reconnecting to Nature, you can improve your relationship with yourself, which will help you make better, more aligned choices in your life.
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