National Trust - The Dodman

The walk out to The Dodman's headland fort is properly rewarding - you're looking at an Iron Age fortification that juts into the sea like a fist, with earthwork defences still clearly visible after two millennia. From Saint Austell, it's an easy drive to the car park near Dodman Point, then a straightforward coastal path that takes you across open grassland to the summit. The views are spectacular: you can see for miles along the Cornish coast, and on a clear day the sight of those ancient ramparts against the backdrop of the English Channel makes the whole thing feel genuinely significant rather than just another walk.

This is primarily for walkers and history enthusiasts rather than young children - there's not much to do once you arrive except stand about appreciating the view and the archaeology. Allow an hour or so to get out there, have a poke around the earthworks, and come back. The fort itself is unfenced and free to explore, which keeps things refreshingly simple. It's a National Trust site, so no admission fee, just the car park if there is one.

If you're based at Treveague Campsite or Tregarton Park - both excellent, just a mile or two away - this makes a cracking half-day outing. It breaks up a park holiday nicely without demanding a full day's commitment. Go when the weather's decent; the exposed headland gets properly battered in wind and rain, and the appeal drops considerably when visibility is poor.