Blackbury Camp

The walk up to Blackbury Camp rewards you with something genuinely rare - an Iron Age hill fort that hasn't been flattened by centuries of ploughing or turned into a car park. Near Sidmouth, this is proper ancient Devon. The ramparts are still visible, rising up across the hilltop, and the views across the Exe Estuary and out towards the coast make the climb worthwhile on a clear day. You're standing where Iron Age people stood, which is the kind of thing that either gets you or it doesn't.

It's a decent walk from Sidmouth itself - maybe forty minutes to an hour depending on fitness - and the terrain gets steep near the top. Walkers will absolutely get it. History enthusiasts will spend an hour picking out the ditch-and-bank systems and trying to imagine the settlement. Families with young kids might find the scramble a bit much, though older children who like clambering about will be fine.

There's no visitor centre or any facilities up there - just the fort itself, open sky, and the feeling of being somewhere that matters. Free to visit, of course. If you're staying at Oakdown Touring and Holiday Caravan Park just up the road, it's exactly the kind of half-day excursion that justifies a holiday in the area. Go in autumn or early spring when it's not sweltering and the light does something interesting with the earthworks.