‘Here!’ Joe pointed to a gate leading to a field, though they couldn’t see the stones just yet, and parked further up the lane. There were no other cars there and Joe felt a thrill of exclusivity grab him: they might have it all to themselves. He parked and turned off the engine. ‘Right, team, come on!’ he said.

‘Can we stay in the car, Dad?’

‘Nope. Denied. You know that new Xbox game you want?’

The boys looked at one another and knew what was coming.

‘Yeah, well, you have to earn it.’

‘By sightseeing in the dark!’ Callum thought himself clever and Annie laughed.

Joe got out of the car and went across the road. His eyes adjusted and out of the oily blackness, one, then two, then more mysterious, tall, dark grey structures appeared in the distant field before him. He heard the car door slam, and Annie and the boys approached.

He pointed across the field and the others followed his gesture. Behind the ghoulish formations, a faint glow emerged from the horizon and, in seconds, the stones were silhouetted gently by a purple hue. Joe led them into the field.

‘Watch out for the sheep crap,’ he warned.

‘I can smell them,’ said Callum. In the distance, an animal bleated, as if in answer to Joe’s insolence. As the forthcoming light materialised, they spotted scores, if not hundreds, of white blobs, moving nonchalantly between the huge stones, chewing and occasionally looking up at their visitors.

They walked closer to the structure and Joe could tell by the silence that it had been a good idea: he looked at his boys, who were staring at the boulders before them. They reached the outer circle and Connor put out his hand to touch the rock.

‘How old did you say these were, Dad?’

‘About five thousand years. It’s estimated that they’re Neolithic because of some axes that were found here. The stones have never been properly dated.’

‘Why not?’

‘Money, mainly. If it was under threat from erosion or farming, I suppose somebody would step in, but English Heritage isn’t made of money.’

‘That’s wrong,’ Connor said. ‘Who knows what’s under there?’

‘I agree, but at least it’s left in peace and not overrun by tourists.’

Their words merged into the silence around them and dissipated on the wind. It was an odd sensation, and somehow, the absence of other human beings made their voices resonate further. They walked around the stones and came to where it was believed the entrance stood: guarded by two huge monoliths, each perhaps weighing sixteen tonnes. Just inside that, there was a strange arrangement of stones that seemed to indicate an inner chamber.

‘What was this for?’ It was Connor who asked again. His favourite subject was history. Callum’s was maths. Joe reckoned that the stone circle would satisfy both minds.