The Well at St Paul-in-the-Bail

The Well at St Paul-in-the-Bail sits beneath the church in Lincoln's medieval centre - you're literally walking into layers of Roman and Saxon history the moment you descend. What you're looking at is a properly deep Roman well, the kind that supplied the settlement when Lincoln was Lindum Colonia, one of the empire's key British outposts. The well itself is the real draw here, preserved in situ with its original stone lining still visible. It's not flashy or heavily interpreted, which is either brilliant or frustrating depending on what you want from an afternoon out.

For history types this is genuinely gripping - the chance to see actual Roman engineering doing its job for nearly two thousand years. Families with kids might find it underwhelming unless the children are already interested in archaeology; it's more about standing around a hole in the ground than interactive experiences. The site itself is accessed through St Paul-in-the-Bail church, so it's free to explore but worth a donation. Allow thirty minutes maximum to see it properly.

Lincoln itself is well worth a day trip from South Cliff Caravan Site, just over three miles away. Combine this with the cathedral and castle on the hill above - they're unmissable - and you've got enough to keep you occupied. The well is the kind of place that rewards visitors who've already got their heads around Roman Britain; on its own it's bit slight.