Castell Llwyd

The earthworks of Castell Llwyd sit on a modest hilltop near Newport, easy to miss if you're not looking for them. What you're actually seeing is a Norman motte-and-bailey fortress, the kind of defensive structure the Normans threw up all over Wales in the 11th and 12th centuries to keep the locals in check. The mound itself is still quite pronounced - you can walk right up to it - and from the top you get decent views across the Pembrokeshire countryside toward the Nevern Valley.

It's free and always accessible, which is the only way to visit something this modest. Allow maybe twenty minutes unless you're properly into medieval fortifications, in which case you might spend longer picking over the earthworks and imagining what stood here centuries ago. There's no interpretation board, no visitor centre, just the land itself.

Families with young kids might find it interesting as a short walk and a bit of scrambling about, though it won't hold attention for long. History enthusiasts will appreciate it as a clear example of Norman settlement in the region - it's the kind of thing that makes sense once you've visited a few of these sites and start recognising the pattern.

Stay at Llwyngwair Manor Holiday Park just down the road and you've got this on your doorstep for a morning wander. Pair it with a proper explore of Newport's medieval town walls and you've got a reasonable half-day of medieval Wales.