Northumberland Bottom

The earthworks at Northumberland Bottom are easy to walk past without noticing them - a series of low ridges and ditches cutting across the landscape east of Meopham. What you're actually looking at is a medieval settlement, the kind of place where people lived and worked centuries ago, now returned to scrub and grass. The site itself isn't dramatic or towering - this is archaeology for people who enjoy reading the land itself rather than waiting for plaques to tell them what they're seeing.

History buffs will appreciate the challenge of spotting the layout: house platforms, field systems, the sort of thing that makes sense if you know what to look for and absolutely baffling otherwise. Families might find it a bit underwhelming on first glance - there's no visitor centre, no information boards, just a field. That said, older kids interested in how people lived in the past might enjoy the detective work of figuring out where the buildings stood.

The site is free and accessible, though opening hours and facilities information is scarce. Give yourself thirty minutes to an hour if you're genuinely exploring; you could pass through in ten minutes if you're just passing. It works well as a stop on a longer walk around the area rather than a destination in itself.

Thamesview Camping and Badgells Wood Camping both sit within five or six miles, making this an easy detour during a park-based holiday in East Essex. The surrounding countryside rewards wandering, and Meopham itself offers the usual village facilities.