Pathfinder Airfield Little Staughton

The concrete runways at Little Staughton are cracked and empty now, but walk across them and you're treading on proper wartime ground. Pathfinder Airfield was home to RAF Pathfinder Force during the Second World War - the crews who flew ahead of the main bomber squadrons to mark targets with flares. It's one of those places where history sits right there in front of you, unglamorous and quietly moving.

There's not much to see in the traditional sense. No visitor centre, no café, no gift shop - just the remains of the airfield itself, some hardstandings where bombers once waited, and the wide fenland landscape that must have looked the same to pilots returning from night raids over Germany. It's the kind of site that rewards people with a genuine interest in aviation history or the mechanics of wartime operations. Families might find it a bit abstract unless the kids are old enough to connect with the stories - there's no interpretive signage to guide you through what you're looking at.

If you're staying at St Neots Camping and Caravanning Club Site, it's only four miles away, making it an easy half-day excursion. The walk itself is pleasant enough, and you'll get a sense of the Cambridgeshire countryside that surrounds it. Allow an hour or so unless you're really keen on military history, in which case you could spend longer absorbing the atmosphere. Free to visit, naturally - there's nowhere to pay. Best on a clear day when the wide skies feel appropriately big.