Nether Stowey Castle

The motte and bailey earthworks at Nether Stowey aren't going to blow your mind with medieval stonework - there's precious little of that left - but they tell a proper story about Norman settlement in the Quantocks. What you're actually looking at is a raised mound surrounded by ditches, the bones of a castle that once commanded this stretch of Somerset countryside. It takes about twenty minutes to walk round the site and scramble up the mound itself, which rewards you with decent views back towards Holford and the forested hills beyond.

History buffs will find the bones of it interesting - this was 11th-century strategic thinking in earthwork form - though you'll need decent weather to make it worthwhile. Kids might manage half an hour if you're lucky, unless they're the sort who enjoy climbing around on lumpy ground. Fair warning: it's not signposted brilliantly and there's no visitor centre, cafe, or any of that. Just an old fortification left to the elements.

It's free to visit and essentially always open - the kind of place you walk to from Holford if you're staying at one of the nearby caravan parks like Mill Farm or Moorhouse. Combine it with a proper walk through the Quantock woodlands if you want to make a day of it. On its own, it's more of a curiosity stop than a destination, but if you're camping locally and fancy a leg-stretch with a bit of history attached, it does the job.