Monday Cleugh Hill Fort

The walk up Monday Cleugh Hill rewards you with the remnants of an Iron Age fort that commands views across the Cheviot foothills. It's not dramatic - no towering ramparts or reconstructed gateways here - but the earthworks are genuine and the setting is proper wild.

What you're looking at are the defensive ditches and banks that would have enclosed a settlement around 2,000 years ago. The fort sits roughly 400 metres up the hillside near Wooler, so you'll need decent legs and an hour to reach it properly. The archaeological interest is real for anyone who enjoys working out how people lived from lumps in the ground, but families after a quick tourist fix might find it underwhelming.

There's no visitor centre, no interpretation boards, no entry fee - it's just you and the archaeology. That's partly its appeal if you're into that sort of thing, but it does mean you'll want to do a bit of homework first or bring a guidebook. The walk itself is worth doing regardless though. The terrain is typical Northumberland moorland - bracken, grass, the occasional gorse - and the views towards the Cheviots on a clear day are excellent.

If you're staying at Highburn House Caravan Park or Riverside Wooler Holiday Park, this makes a good half-day excursion. Pair it with a walk around Wooler town itself or head into the wider Cheviot country. Don't expect to spend more than ninety minutes here, but the hike and the landscape make it worthwhile.