Quarley Hill Fort

The Iron Age earthworks sprawl across Quarley Hill like an ancient puzzle someone started and never finished. Three concentric ditches cut deep into the chalk, with ramparts rising between them - it's the kind of place where you can stand on the outer edge and actually feel how much effort went into building a fort without modern machinery.

This isn't a visitor centre with handholds and interpretive boards. There's nothing but you, the wind, and the views across Wiltshire stretching towards Salisbury in the distance. The fort itself sits around 300 metres up, so it's a proper walk rather than a casual stroll, but the effort pays off. On a clear day you can see for miles - which, as any Iron Age person would tell you, was exactly the point when they built the thing.

Walkers and history types will get the most from this. Families with young kids might find it a bit abstract - there's no visitor trail, no obvious route round, just ditches and grass. Allow an hour if you're making a proper job of exploring, though you can dash round in twenty minutes if time's tight.

It's free, naturally, since there's nothing to charge for and no one manning a gate. The nearest proper base is Salisbury, about four miles away. Salisbury Hillside Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite sits well for this sort of thing - close enough to make it a morning visit without faffing about with transport. Worth combining with other prehistoric sites in the area if you're making a Wiltshire archaeology trip.