Whopity:
Once upon a time the idea was that you could glide back onto the airfield from any point in the circuit; it is not a bad principal to adhere to now. If you can't reach the airfield your circuit is too big!
Yes, but once upon a time most airfields were also largish areas with many possible landing directions and few obstructions outside the boundary. Many airfields now have a single runway, may not be wide enough for a stude to land across and may have buildings near the boundary.
I fully support the need for tighter circuits but don't agree that it is always appropriate or possible to try to reach the airfield from anywhere in the circuit. The most important thing is to achieve a safe speed and to arrive in a controlled way on a relatively flat surface - and preferably into wind.
HFD