Stonehenge to Grant Rare Access to Select Few

Stonehenge, usually a backdrop for crowds and selfies, is offering something far rarer this August: 20 minutes inside the stone circle for one lucky ticket-holder per day. English Heritage says advance-ticket buyers will automatically be entered into a daily draw that will hand one winner "private time inside the prehistoric stone circle, with no other visitors present," in what it calls a first since an admission fee was put in place 125 years ago.

Winners will still need to obey the usual rules—no touching or climbing on the stones—but can stand among them instead of viewing them from behind the rope barrier. Interim head of Stonehenge Georgia Butters tells the BBC they'll be able to see "delicate carvings" and "really rare lichen." They can bring along anyone booked on the same order or go solo. The Guardian reports on the only other ways to get such access: Be famous (it cites Barack Obama and Buzz Aldrin as having visited), pay about $400 for a special tour, or come on the summer or winter solstice, when thousands are allowed to access the circle.