Caesar's Camp

Iron Age fortifications don't usually grab you until you're actually standing on the ramparts looking down at what ancient Britons thought was worth defending. Caesar's Camp, perched above Warlingham, is a proper archaeological site - the kind where you need to use your imagination a bit because what remains are earthworks rather than standing stones or walls.

The camp itself covers about eight acres and consists of two parallel ditches with raised banks between them, built sometime around the 1st century BC. Whether it was ever actually attacked by Julius Caesar's forces is still debated by the experts, but the Scheduled Ancient Monument status tells you it's significant enough to protect. The walk around the site takes about half an hour if you're moving leisurely, longer if you're the type to pause and think about Celtic warriors.

Walkers will genuinely enjoy this more than casual visitors. It's not Instagram-friendly - there are no dramatic ruins or viewpoints that make you gasp. What you get instead is the oddly satisfying feeling of treading ground where people made serious decisions about defence two thousand years ago. The surrounding woodland is pleasant enough, though the site itself can feel a bit overgrown depending on the season.

Stay at either Milberry Green Meadows or Tilford Woods Lodge Retreat - both are five-star operations within easy driving distance - and combine Caesar's Camp with other walks in the Surrey Hills. It's worth an afternoon if you're already in the area, but don't plan a trip around it alone.