Stockland Little Castle

The ruins of Stockland Little Castle sit quietly on a hillside near Honiton, a modest earthwork that punches well above its weight in terms of atmosphere. It's essentially a motte-and-bailey fort - a Norman defensive position with steep banks and a flattened top where a wooden keep would have stood centuries ago. The views across the Devon countryside are genuinely good, and the walk up rewards you with a real sense of what medieval land ownership looked like in this part of the world.

This isn't a castle you can wander through with a guidebook and audio commentary. Instead, you get the archaeology itself - the contours of the land, the defensive ditch, the raised platform where someone once watched their territory. History types will absolutely get it. Families with younger children might find it feels a bit abstract unless they've got an interest in how these places actually worked. The walk is straightforward enough but the site itself demands a bit of imagination.

Allow an hour to reach it and explore properly. It's free to visit and accessible year-round, though it's muddy after rain so sensible boots matter. The surrounding landscape is perfect for a longer ramble if you've got time. After visiting, the glamping sites at Hartridge Springs Spa and Dimpsey Shepherd's Hut make excellent bases for exploring this quieter corner of Devon - both are close by and brilliant if you're after something beyond standard caravan parks.