Castle Head hill fort

The walk up Castle Head from Grange-over-Sands takes about twenty minutes and rewards you with the remains of an Iron Age hill fort sitting 150 metres above the town. It's not dramatic - no soaring ramparts or crumbling towers - but what you get is a proper archaeological site with visible earthworks, commanding views across Morecambe Bay, and the kind of quietness that makes you actually think about who lived here two thousand years ago.

You'll trace the defensive ditches and banks that once enclosed the settlement, and on a clear day the views sweep across the estuary to Ulverston and the Lake District fells beyond. The scramble to the top is straightforward enough for families, though the paths get muddy after rain and it's not pram-friendly. Allow an hour there and back if you're taking it slowly.

This works brilliantly as a half-day add-on to a holiday at Meathop Fell or any of the Lakeland parks - Holgates and Willow Tree Holiday Park are both within easy reach. The fort gives context to the landscape around you rather than being a destination in itself. History enthusiasts will appreciate it; kids under ten might lose interest once they've climbed to the top. Free to visit and open whenever - it's just a hill with archaeology on it, after all.