Roman fort at Wensley

The Roman fort at Wensley sits quietly beside the River Ure, about two miles south of Leyburn - the sort of place you might miss entirely if you weren't looking for it. What remains are earthwork banks and ditches that once formed the defensive perimeter of a second-century military installation, though unlike the showpiece forts elsewhere in northern England, there's no visitor centre or reconstructed buildings here. Just the landscape itself, which tells the story if you know how to read it.

It's proper rewarding for anyone interested in Roman Britain and archaeological sites, though families with young children might find it a bit underwhelming on first glance - there's no dramatic ruins to climb on, just grassy humps and hollows. History enthusiasts and walkers will get far more from it. The site is free to access and you can explore it in about thirty to forty-five minutes, depending on how long you spend thinking about what life looked like here nearly two thousand years ago.

The real appeal emerges when you see it as part of a wider Wensleydale exploration. Leyburn itself is a proper market town with decent facilities, and there are two excellent holiday parks nearby - Yorkshire Dales Holiday Park sits just 2.8 miles away, while Eastfield Glamping Farm offers something a bit different 4.4 miles south. Either makes a solid base for walking the valley and visiting the fort as one part of a broader day out. Spring and autumn are best - the ground's firmer underfoot and you won't be fighting summer crowds anywhere nearby.