Galley Hill Iron Age hillfort

The earthworks at Galley Hill rise abruptly from the Cambridgeshire flatlands, and there's something genuinely moving about standing on a 2,500-year-old defensive rampart. This Iron Age hillfort sprawls across the high ground east of Henlow, its ditches and banks still clearly visible despite millennia of ploughing and weather. You're looking at a settlement that would have housed several hundred people - warriors, families, livestock - all clustered behind those substantial earth defences.

Walkers get the most from this one. The site demands you walk its perimeter to understand the scale, and the views across the Cambridgeshire countryside from the highest points are genuinely worth the effort. History enthusiasts will spend a good hour here puzzling over the layout, imagining the Iron Age community that once thrived in this spot. Children under eight might struggle to see past "a big field with lumps in it", but teenagers with any interest in archaeology will find it compelling.

It's free, naturally - English Heritage doesn't charge for unexcavated hillforts. Allow ninety minutes if you're walking the full circuit and actually looking at what you're seeing. The site sits beautifully between two excellent holiday parks: Cambridgeshire Lakes just 3.7 miles away offers proper facilities, while Henlow Bridge Lakes gives you a quieter base six miles out. Spring and autumn are ideal - the turf's manageable underfoot and the light catches those ancient earthworks rather well. Winter gets muddy fast.