Rowlands Castle (remains)

What's left of Rowlands Castle is essentially earthworks and a bit of crumbling stone - you won't find a fairy-tale fortress here. The remains sit just outside Emsworth, and what you're looking at is a Norman motte-and-bailey from around the 12th century, now mostly overgrown but still recognisable if you know what you're looking for.

It's a proper historian's spot rather than a family day out. Kids might manage ten minutes poking about the banks and ditches before asking what's for lunch. But if you're into early medieval fortifications and how they defended the South Coast, this tells a story - even if that story is written in bumps in the ground rather than standing walls.

You can wander the site freely, and it costs nothing. Allow maybe 20 minutes unless you're genuinely keen on motte-and-bailey design. The earthworks are reasonably well preserved, which is something.

If you're staying at The Old Dairy Farm Glamping nearby or one of the other parks dotted around - Mill Rythe's only a couple of miles down the road - this makes a decent leg-stretcher between longer walks. Emsworth itself is worth a look, proper seaside town with a harbour and decent restaurants. But be honest with yourself: come here for the archaeology interest, not the views or the drama. It's humble, but it's real.