To mark the initiative, said to be the first of its kind since admission charges were introduced 125 years ago, the Guardian was granted 20 minutes in the circle on Tuesday morning to sample the solitude.

Maybe 25years ago?

When I was a kid, you could pull over in a layby on the road adjacent the stones and just step onto a path straight to the stones, later there was a small National Trust car park added with a parking fee. Then years later they blocked the road off to protect the stones from traffic exhaust damage, and built up the visitor centre you see today.