Childswickham Cross

A weathered stone cross standing alone in the Worcestershire countryside near Broadway - that's all Childswickham Cross is, really. But that simplicity is rather the point. It's a medieval marker, the sort of thing that once guided travellers and defined parish boundaries when the landscape looked completely different. The cross itself is modest, worn smooth by centuries of Cotswolds rain and wind.

You won't spend hours here. Five minutes, maybe ten if you're the type to photograph it from different angles or sit on the grass nearby and think about the people who passed this spot five hundred years ago. It works best as a deliberate detour during a walk rather than a destination in itself - the kind of thing you seek out if you're already rambling through the lanes between Broadway and the surrounding villages.

Historically-minded types will appreciate it more than most. Families with young children might find it underwhelming unless they're already keen on medieval history. The real appeal is the walk to reach it and the sense of touching something genuinely old, still doing its job of marking place and distance.

Broadway is the nearest proper town, and if you're staying at one of the holiday parks nearby - Leedons or Broadway Caravan and Motorhome Club are both very close - you could easily include this in a morning's exploration. Combine it with a longer circular walk through the Cotswolds and it becomes part of something more substantial. Access is free and unrestricted, though there's nowhere official to park, so come on foot from Broadway if you can.