Belstone Village Stocks

A pair of weathered wooden stocks sits in the heart of Belstone village, looking rather out of place in the sleepy Devon countryside about 15 miles north of Exeter. They're among the oldest and best-preserved in the country, dating back to medieval times when public shaming was the punishment du jour. The timber framework is genuinely impressive - you can run your hand along the grain and spot the hinges that once locked miscreants' feet in place.

It's not a long stop. Twenty minutes max, unless you're the type to photograph every historical marker and read all the interpretation plaques. But it tells you something proper about village justice and how communities policed themselves centuries before we had police. Kids find it grimly fascinating, though explaining what it was actually for requires a bit of sensitivity depending on their age.

What makes it worth the minor detour is that Belstone itself is lovely - proper moorland village with the chance to stretch legs on some cracking walks across Dartmoor. The stocks sit by the green, so you can combine it with a pint and a pasty at the pub. There's no entry fee and no fiddly opening hours to navigate. If you're based at Woodland Springs Touring Park nearby, it's an easy half-hour drive and the sort of waypoint that breaks up a touring holiday nicely. History enthusiasts will appreciate it more than most, but honestly anyone passing through should stop for five minutes.