Fyfield Down

Nearest town:
Marlborough (6km E)
OS reference:
SU135709
OS sheet:
173
Latitude:
51° 26' 11.03 N
Longitude:
1° 48' 20.75 W
Added to TMA by

Sites in Fyfield Down

​

​ •

location_on photo ondemand_video forum description link ​

​

​ •

location_on photo ondemand_video forum description link ​

Images

Image of Fyfield Down (Natural Rock Feature) by thesweetcheat

Amongst dozens of stones with natural cups and pits, I came across this one stone with what might be a manmade cupmark on its upper surface. Opinions welcome.

Image credit: A. Brookes (26.3.2017)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 15, 2017
Image of Fyfield Down (Natural Rock Feature) by thesweetcheat

Sarsen drift, Fyfield Down. Essentially this is the northern end of the Mother’s Jam.

Image credit: A. Brookes (26.3.2017)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Apr 15, 2017
Image of Fyfield Down (Natural Rock Feature) by Zal

Quick Conté sketch made on site

Image credit: © Amanda Bates 2015
Zal
Zal Apr 8, 2015
Image of Fyfield Down (Natural Rock Feature) by thesweetcheat

Amazing spread of sarsen drift, towards the southern end of Fyfield Down (approx SU144703).

Image credit: A. Brookes (21.5.2011)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 24, 2011
Image of Fyfield Down (Natural Rock Feature) by thesweetcheat

More of the Totterdown Wood sarsens, presenting a very different view of Fyfield Down.

Image credit: A. Brookes (21.5.2011)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 23, 2011
Image of Fyfield Down (Natural Rock Feature) by thesweetcheat

Not all of the sarsens on Fyfield Down are out in the open. Some are rather better hidden, in the mossy seclusion of Totterdown Wood.

Image credit: A. Brookes (21.5.2011)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 23, 2011

Articles

Fyfield Down

Fyfield Down in Wiltshire delisted as a nature reserve

moss
moss Feb 17, 2022

One of Wiltshire’s most important wild landscapes has been delisted as a nature reserve. Fyfield Down, just east of the famous stone circle at Avebury, was leased to the Nature Conservancy (a predecessor of Natural England) in 1955 and declared an NNR in 1956. It has been described as the “best assemblage of sarsen stones in England”. The site lies within the Avebury World Heritage Site and the North Wessex Downs AONB.

tinyurl.com/mr2smb2

Fyfield Down

Geology and Landscape walk

Littlestone
Littlestone Jan 10, 2011

This an opportunity to learn more about Fyfield Down (Site of Special Scientific Interest) with Peter Keene, formerly senior lecturer in geomorphology at Oxford Brooks University.

“The ability to ‘read’ landscapes or to have ‘an eye for the country’ adds a new dimension to our appreciation of our surroundings. On this walk, from Avebury via Overton Down to Clatford Bottom across the Fyfield SSSI we shall learn through discussion and investigation of the evidence that is observable in the field how the landscape, with its layers of chalk, sarsen rocks, streams and dry valleys, evolved in this part of the Marlborough Downs.”

The walk begins in Avebury at 10:30am on Saturday, 16 July 2011. More here – wiltshireheritage.org.uk/events/index.php?Action=2&thID=607&prev=1

Fyfield Down

thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Feb 6, 2014

The next part of the walk is a bit less straightforward. I’m hoping that I can find the Polisher, but I don’t actually know where it is. I know photos on TMA show a gallops fence nearby, but that’s about all I’ve got. Most significantly, I don’t know which side of the Herepath it’s on. The only thing to do is to wander.

Wandering in the drifts of Fyfield Down is a good thing though. After entering the Down at its southeastern corner, I’m immediately confronted by the scale of the drift itself. I’ve never really seen anything quite like it. I have a quick look at the Fyfield 1 and 2 barrows, but really even these are overshadowed by the natural landscape here. From here I follow the ribbon of the Mother’s Jam, coming across The Monster Stone as I wander. Yep, it really is a monster. Other treats here include the experimental earthwork, slowly decaying as intended. Overton Down (south) may be just about the least impressive round barrow I’ve seen in Wiltshire, a barely-there mound under nettles – get the sheep in, someone.

Fyfield Down

tjj
tjj Jan 19, 2010

I have walked through the Greywethers drift many times; today I was in the unusual position of leading three ‘walking’ friends who had never seen them before up to Fyfield Down. The Polisher first; where an ominous mist descended – we were not deterred and descended diagonally across the bumpy stone-strewn downland towards the Herepath. In the distance a pair of brown deer leaped their way across our line of vision.

As we made our way across the Herepath and around the sarsen ‘greywethers’ the mist disolved and the pale January sun made an appearence again. One of my friends was plotting a route for a guided walk so following the OS map we picked up a green track along a field boundary. A word of caution – perhaps because of the recent snow there were many potentially ankle-turning deep crevices and holes in the ground so not a good place to walk alone at this time of year.

Most people who experience Fyfield Down for the first time are astonished that somewhere so wild and ancient still existed in Wiltshire. My three friends were no exception. Words used – misty and mystical.

Sites within 20km of Fyfield Down

Like all websites everywhere, we use cookies.