Knap Barrow

A Bronze Age burial mound rising from the Dorset landscape near Fordingbridge, Knap Barrow is the sort of place that rewards curiosity but demands patience. The mound itself is modest in height - you won't mistake it for drama - but standing on it gives you proper views across the surrounding countryside, and that's where the appeal lies. There's something quietly compelling about knowing that people buried their dead here over 3,000 years ago.

This is archaeology without the visitor centre, without the crowds, without the entrance fee. You just turn up and look at it. That appeals to some travellers and bores others senseless within twenty minutes. Families with young children might find it underwhelming unless they're genuinely interested in prehistory. But if you're a walker camping at Hill Cottage Farm or Chalke Valley Camping, and you fancy adding a historical detour to an afternoon ramble through the New Forest fringes, it's well worth the leg. The surrounding paths are pleasant enough to make the journey the real point.

Allow perhaps half an hour if you're going as a dedicated visit, though honestly most people blend it into a longer walk. There's no infrastructure here - no café, no facilities, nothing. Go in decent weather, bring a map, and don't expect interpretation boards. What you get is solitude and the genuine article, undressed and unadorned. Sometimes that's exactly what you want from a morning out.