Castle How Hillfort

The Iron Age earthworks at Castle How sit on a hillside just outside Keswick, commanding views across the valley - though you'll need to know where to look, because there's no visitor centre, no interpretation boards, and precious little fanfare. What you're actually visiting is a series of defensive ditches and banks that would have ringed a settlement 2,000 years ago, the sort of place where people lived behind ramparts because life was uncertain and raids were common.

It's a proper walk to get up there, and the reward is less dramatic than, say, Maiden Castle down south - the earthworks are softened by grass and time, so you're reading the landscape as much as seeing it. That said, if you're into Iron Age Britain or you're the type who enjoys standing where Romano-British chieftains once stood, it's worth the leg work from Keswick town centre.

History enthusiasts will get the most from this one. Kids under ten might find it a bit abstract - there's no castle, no obvious drama, just bumps in the ground. Allow an hour including the walk up and back. The campsites scattered around Keswick - Skiddaw View, Kestrel Lodge, and Forest Views are all within five miles - make decent bases for exploring this corner of the Lake District, though you'd pair Castle How with proper fell walks rather than making it the main event.