Bartlow Hills

Five Roman burial mounds rise up from the flat Cambridgeshire countryside near Bartlow, each one a proper reminder that the Romans took their dead seriously. These aren't dramatic earthworks - in fact, the largest is only about 40 feet high - but standing among them on a quiet afternoon, you do get a genuine sense of the ceremonial weight they once carried. Locals call them the Hills, and they're among the most significant Roman barrows in Britain, dating back nearly 2,000 years.

The site itself is straightforward: you can walk around the mounds freely, reading the information boards that explain who was buried here and why. It's not a museum or visitor centre - there's no gift shop, no café, just the mounds themselves and the fields around them. That's rather the appeal, if you're after a bit of archaeology without the production. Most people spend 20-30 minutes here, maybe an hour if you're genuinely interested in Roman burial practices.

Family groups with older kids will appreciate the walking and the historical angle. Younger children might find it underwhelming - they're just grass-covered lumps, after all. If you're staying at HappenOak Treehouse nearby, this makes a decent leg-stretcher between Cambridge itself and more active pursuits. Go on a clear day when the light's low across the fields; that's when the mounds cast shadows that actually make them visible.