Chrishall War Memorial

The memorial stands in the village churchyard at Chrishall, just east of Royston, and it's one of those quiet corners where you actually pause to read the names. A solid stone shaft topped with a cross, it commemorates the local men who fell in the First World War - the kind of village monument you'll find across England, each one telling a story about communities that lost sons, brothers, neighbours.

What strikes you is the scale of loss relative to the village size. Chrishall is small now, and it was smaller then. Walking among the graves in the churchyard you get a proper sense of how these places were hollowed out by 1918. There's no visitor centre or interpretation boards here - it's just the memorial itself and the quiet.

It works best as part of a longer walk through the Cambridgeshire countryside rather than a destination in itself. History buffs will appreciate the chance to pay respects and reflect, though families with young children might find it sobering rather than engaging. Allow 20 minutes maximum unless you're doing gravestone rubbings or the full churchyard circuit.

If you're staying at Pightle Farm Campsite less than a mile away, this is an easy addition to a morning walk before heading further afield. It's the sort of stop that costs nothing and takes no time, but leaves you thinking about the villages around Royston and what the 1920s felt like for the people left behind.