Think the point that’s been staring us in face all this time, and we’ve missed, it is that people do, actually, want to touch the monument. We see it all the time at Avebury, and that’s what makes Avebury and Stonehenge so different – the former let’s you get up close and ‘intimate’ while the latter keeps you at arm’s length. Interestingly, at Avebury, people who actually climb the stones are few and far between – most are quite happy to wander round and interact with the stones in a respectful way.

So, I’d opt for a path at the very base of the monument so people can actually touch it – then a simple unobtrusive fence (without barbed wire) a few feet up to deter kids and the less conservation-minded from going further. Won’t deter everyone but it’s a start to better things maybe