Cross Dyke

A linear earthwork stretches across the South Downs near Petworth, and if you're after genuine archaeology rather than polished museum displays, Cross Dyke delivers. This Iron Age or Romano-British defensive ditch and bank runs for several hundred metres across open downland - the sort of place where you can actually walk the thing and think about why someone bothered digging it here, centuries ago.

It's not dramatic. No standing stones, no visible structures. Just a dip in the ground that's been there for roughly two thousand years, and that's rather the point. Walkers will appreciate it most - you're looking at a straightforward ramble across proper Sussex countryside, with the dyke itself revealing itself gradually as you move along it. History types get a kick out of reading the landscape. Children under ten? Probably won't sustain interest for long, unless they're the sort to enjoy spotting earthworks and imagining Iron Age raids.

There's no visitor centre, no entry fee, no facilities. It's free and utterly on your own terms. Allow an hour if you want to walk a decent stretch of it, longer if you're doing a circular route across the downs. Spring and early summer are best - you'll actually see the contours clearly, and the grass won't be waist-high.

If you're based at Wakestone & Wild Glamping or the touring site at Old Farm Slindon, both within five miles, Cross Dyke pairs well with the broader Downs walks in the area. It's the sort of stop that rewards curiosity rather than promising spectacle.