Silbury Hill Before Sunrise

Constructed around 4,500 years ago, Silbury Hill perhaps the most enigmatic of Wiltshire’s ancient monuments. To build it, Neolithic people excavated half a million tonnes of chalk from around its base, creating a depression that fills with water during wet winters. On the early morning of this picture cloud was arriving from the west but I estimated it would not envelop the south-eastern horizon until the time of sunrise, giving the possibility of a colourful sky. With low wind speeds, the moat is ideal for reflections, punctuated by tufts of semi-submerged vegetation.