Castle Neroche

The walk up to Castle Neroche rewards you with proper views across the Blackdown Hills and towards the Quantocks - assuming the weather plays ball. This Iron Age hillfort sits at 260 metres, and what you're looking at are ancient ramparts that the Dumnonii built around 500 BC to protect themselves from Belgic invaders. There's not much standing, to be honest. No stones, no tower, just the earthworks themselves - grassed-over banks and ditches that form a rough square pattern. But that's rather the point with archaeology. Your imagination does the heavy lifting.

Walkers will get more from this than casual tourists. The approach from Chard, just a few miles south, takes you through proper Somerset countryside, and the final climb is steep enough to feel like effort. Allow two hours round trip if you're not dawdling. Kids might find it underwhelming after the initial novelty - there's no interpretive signage, no cafe, no facilities whatsoever. History enthusiasts, however, will appreciate standing where Iron Age communities once kept watch.

It's free, obviously, and you can visit anytime. Spring and early summer are best when the grass is shorter and sightlines clearer. If you're basing yourself at one of the local caravan parks - Ashe Farm and Holly Bush are both within four miles - it's an easy morning or afternoon excursion to break up the holiday routine. Don't expect Stonehenge. Expect solitude, a decent walk, and the satisfaction of touching something genuinely ancient.