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Line of sight calculator
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Sanctuary
Sanctuary
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Re: Line of sight calculator
Dec 11, 2010, 20:21
Littlestone wrote:
nigelswift wrote:
"Be nice (if it hasn’t been done already) to have a map showing all the points from which you can see Silbury."

That's easy, you go up Silbury and note all the points you can see FROM Silbury. Except that you can't go up Silbury....


The reality is that Silbury is not always (perhaps never) visible from certain points (though one might think it would be from atop the monument) and breathtakingly visible, but only for a short time, from others. It’s always difficult to see it from Winterbourne Bassett (sometimes you can’t) but when you can it’s a eureka moment. You can see it from the road (in wintertime) just outside Winterbourne Monkton as you drive towards Avebury but then only for a few seconds. You can see it most of the time from the Sanctuary and Windmill Hill (not to mention East and West Kennet Long Barrows) and there’s a spectacular view of it as you come down the hill from Hill Barn into East Kennet – but again only for a few seconds if you’re driving.

It’s a bit like the game little children play... while their parents can always see their children, the children only see their parents when they want to :-)


These debates are always interesting because they often make us look at things in a different light or perspective. We have a tendency to be told at times what we are looking at so that our own thought patterns are over-ridden and we end up almost towing the part line of acceptance. With regard to Silbury Hill, well it's no secret that it can't be seen from everywhere, so maybe that in itself possibly suggests that we should be looking at alternative reasons for its positioning other than from a visual aspect. Then again, maybe not! As LS said, speculation is fun!
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