Viewed near East Kennett long barrow. West Kennett long barrow is visible to its left.
Image credit: Robert Gladstone
location_on
photo
ondemand_video
forum
description
link
Gladman,
Isn't it strange the sense of altitude? From west Kennett you seem to be higher than East Kennett, and vice versa, and Avebury doesn't seem so low when you are there. This photo shows East Kennett to be as high as Silbury Hill, judging by the horizon, and West Kennett much lower. Is that Windmill Hill on the far right, higher than all? Interesting how perspectives change when you compare the opposite views, especially those from on the top of a ridge to in a shallow valley.
TE.
The downs possess subtle variations in topography - as opposed to the often violent contasts I'm used to in Wales (as yourself in Cumbria)...I guess that's why Silbury (in particular) 'works' here, but probably wouldn't in many other places across these isles? It is made - literally - for Avebury
I've been reading a bit of Dawkins recently about how poorly 'designed' the human eye actually is - retina back to front etc - requiring an awful lot of evolutionary mutational tinkering to produce the images we see. Sort of like a modern jet which couldn't stay in the air without a computer constantly making control adjustments. Maybe this complex photoshopping accounts for things appearing higher/lower than they actually are according to the map... the brain deciding it should be so... and that's that!