The Waterstone Burial Chamber

You'll need to hunt a bit to find this one - that's rather the point. The Waterstone Burial Chamber is a Neolithic passage tomb, the kind of place that makes you realise how much history Somerset has tucked away in its corners. What you're looking at is a stone structure built around 5,000 years ago, the bones of something that would have been a proper ceremonial space for Bronze Age communities.

It's not dramatic in the Instagram sense. No soaring ruins or manicured gardens here - just weathered stone and the weight of millennia. That's exactly why it works. You're standing where people stood half a lifetime ago, literally touching rocks they touched. The approach is straightforward enough, though the site isn't signposted with the usual tourist machinery, so you'll want to do your homework before heading out from Bristol.

Historically minded visitors will find this far more rewarding than casual tourists after a quick tick-box. Budget a good hour if you're genuinely interested - longer if you like sitting quietly with archaeological sites and thinking about what they meant. Families with children keen on prehistoric stuff will get something from it; young kids after ice cream and instant gratification won't.

The surrounding area is well set up for park-based holidays. Mendip Basecamp Family Adventure Campsite and The Batch Campsite both put you within easy reach, as do the glamping options at Somerset Glamping and Wild Goose. Park your base and do this as a morning walk before hitting the Mendips proper.