Can you visit Avebury stone circles in the evening? Is there controlled access or is it an open field in which you can wander around at your own leasure? I'm trying to fit it into a busy day and would be able to arrive around 7 pm only. Is this doable?

It is doable anytime.

There is no closed access. They are out in the open. If you are going in late spring or in summer it will be daylight LONG after 7 p.m.

Head to the Red Lion pub, use that as a central car park, grab a pint and gaze at the stones from the pub window then once you have finished take a wander around the circle at sunset.

The aforementioned Pub was built on the altar stone, which should make your drink there more interesting. Avebury is encircled by the stones so they are available 24/7. Many people in the town have used them over the centuries in their buildings; the B&B we stayed in (turned on to it by the pub owners) had one of the stones as a fireplace hearth. But...if you go to Avebury, please please don't miss the following: a short distance out of town is Silbury Hill, a man made hill from (I believe) the Iron Age, which has never been excavated. Very near Silbury hill, and up another hill (walkable on public footpath) are ancient burial mounds of standing stones (sorry I can't remember, but information should be readily available in guide books). It is incredible to walk down into the chambers used so many millenium ago. Now, if you are up for arcane information, get a copy of "New View over Atlantis" which describes the theory of the ancient Ley Lines, power lines which were marked by monoliths, ponds, and notches in hills. From the top of that burial mound near Avebury, I swear I saw a line of these markers: a tall stone monument, a notch, and Silbury Hill itself.

The really good burial mound is the West Kennet Long Barrow.

LOL, the Avebury setup is about as different from Stonehenge as it could be. The circle is huge, the stones are much smaller (relatively portable as the above post attests), there's a pub on top of it and a road right through it. People wander amongst the stones and climb upon them.

If you get there early enough, do visit either of the two adjacent museums. We especially enjoyed the film about the salvage and reconstruction of the circle back in the (IIRC) 1930s.

7 PM would be just fine in the summertime when you'd still have plenty of daylight.

Ditto on the comments about the stones at Avebury---just mind the sheep manure!!

Cheers,

Jinx Hoover

Silbury Hill pre-dates the Iron Age by about 2,000 years.
There is a path from Avebury village to Silbury Hill and across the A4 up to West Kennet Longbarrow. It is a public footpath that follows the River Kennet and would take about 20 minutes to walk it one way. However if you have a car there is a lay-by on the A4 to park in.

Thanks for the information on Avebury area. I've done some searches for Silbury Hill and West Kennet Long Barrow-it looks interesting. We will definitely spend more time checking things out. Many thanks for the tips!!