Caesar's Camp

The Iron Age hill fort overlooking Rotherham sits on high ground that commands views across South Yorkshire - and you can see why the Romans thought it was worth defending. Walking up to Caesar's Camp takes maybe twenty minutes from the car park, and it's a proper scramble in places, especially after rain. What you're standing in are the remains of defensive ditches and banks, now grown over with grass and scrub, but the layout is still obvious once you're up there.

It's not a place with interpretation boards or a visitor centre, so you need to bring some historical knowledge with you or do your homework beforehand. Roman military camps don't look like much to untrained eyes - you're looking at earthworks, not stone walls. But for archaeology enthusiasts or anyone studying Romano-British conflict, this is the real thing. The view alone justifies the walk, and kids generally find clambering over uneven ground more interesting than staring at a museum display.

Families with younger children might find it a bit rough underfoot and lacking the facilities you'd expect at developed sites. Give it an hour if you're serious about exploring it properly. The nearest caravan parks - Hooton Lodge Farm and Greensprings - are both within easy driving distance, so it works well as a half-day excursion combined with Rotherham itself. Go on a clear day; the whole point is the strategic position, and fog or heavy cloud rather spoils that advantage the Romans so carefully chose.