Devil’s Arrows

Three massive standing stones rise from a field just outside Boroughbridge, a few miles south of Thirsk. They're called the Devil's Arrows, and they've been there for around 3,500 years - Bronze Age markers that someone bothered to drag into place when moving rocks was genuinely difficult. You can walk right up to them, which is the best bit. There's no faffing about with barriers or visitor centres here; it's just you, three towering chunks of millstone grit, and the North Yorkshire countryside stretching away behind them.

The stones themselves aren't particularly ornate or carved with anything mysterious. Their power is simply in their sheer presence - they're tall, they're old, and they sit there making you wonder who put them there and why. It takes maybe twenty minutes to have a proper look, snap some photos, and feel the slightly eerie pull that ancient sites tend to have.

Walkers with an interest in prehistory will get more out of this than families with young children, though kids might enjoy clambering about and imagining Vikings or wizards or whatever appeals to them. It's free to visit and accessible year-round, though winter muddy paths can be a bit of a trek.

If you're basing yourself at Riverside Meadows or Knaresborough further north, this makes an easy afternoon detour without being a major expedition. Combine it with a proper walk along the Ure Valley and you've got a solid half-day sorted.