Castle Batch

The walk up to Castle Batch is steeper than you'd think from the road. It's a proper climb through woodland before you reach the summit of this Iron Age hillfort, just south of Winscombe, and honestly the effort is worth every breath. You get commanding views across the Mendips once you're up there - the sort of vista that makes you understand why someone built a fort on this exact spot two thousand years ago.

It's a nature reserve now, which means the grassland's managed for wildflowers and butterflies rather than sheep, and that does make a difference. The earthworks are still visible if you know what you're looking at - a proper hillfort layout with ramparts you can trace with your feet. A walker who enjoys a bit of history alongside their countryside will get genuine value here. Families with kids will find it interesting for twenty minutes or so, depending on how keen they are on climbing and ancient settlements.

There's no visitor centre or facilities to speak of - bring water. The walk itself takes around an hour return from the nearest car park, and you'll want decent shoes because it's boggy in places. Free access, as far as anyone can work out, though it's worth checking locally. If you're based at any of the nearby parks - Wild Goose Glamping or Mendip Basecamp are closest at four to five miles - this fits nicely into a Mendips walking circuit. It's not a destination in itself, but as a morning's excursion before heading to somewhere with actual facilities, it does the job.