Silbury Hill

Silbury Hill is the largest prehistoric man made mound in Europe, a mysterious 30 metre chalk cone raised more than four thousand years ago near Avebury, and its scale and symmetry only really make sense from the air. A drone reveals the perfect rounded form set among green Wiltshire downland, often with a patchwork of fields and the Kennet valley beyond. Climbing the hill is prohibited to protect it, and the surrounding fields are managed within the Avebury World Heritage landscape, so the sensible launch point is the public layby and byway on the A4 immediately to the south rather than the National Trust and English Heritage ground. Keep clear of visitors at the viewing area and of the busy road itself. The wider Avebury complex, with its stone circle and Waden Hill, is close by and worth respecting, so avoid flying low over people exploring the monuments. Airspace is open downland with no flight restriction zone overhead, so nothing needs clearing before you fly. The exposed ridge and valley can be breezy, so a settled day gives smoother footage over the mound. Early morning is ideal, when low mist often lingers in the Kennet valley, the light is soft on the chalk, and the site is at its quietest.