Loughton Camp

Iron Age folk built this hillfort roughly 2,500 years ago, and you can still trace the earthen ramparts that loop across the high ground east of Chingford. Walking the perimeter takes about forty minutes if you're not dawdling, and the views across the Lea Valley shift nicely as you circle the site. The ditches are pronounced enough that you can read the defensive strategy - they clearly knew what they were doing.

It's less dramatic than you might expect from an archaeological site. There are no standing structures, no visitor centre, no interpretation boards telling you which bit housed the blacksmiths. What you get instead is space, air, and the particular satisfaction of standing where people actually lived and worked centuries before Romans arrived in Britain. Walkers and history types will find it worthwhile. Families with young children might lose interest within the hour unless you're keen on the educational angle.

The site sits on open grassland, so pick a dry day - mud here is proper clingy. No admission fee that I'm aware of, and it's accessible year-round. Chingford's your nearest town for parking and supplies. If you're camping in the area, Lee Valley Campsite is barely twenty minutes away, making this a neat addition to a longer walk through the valley. Theobalds Park, a few miles further north, pairs well with this if you want combining archaeology with formal gardens in a single trip.