Twin Barrows

Two Bronze Age burial mounds rising from the Wiltshire chalk downland near Pewsey - that's what Twin Barrows is, and it's genuinely arresting when you come across them on a walk. The pair sit on open grassland with proper sightlines across the valley, the kind of spot where you can almost feel the weight of 4,000 years of human history pressing down.

What you actually do here is walk around them, read the interpretation boards if they're up, and work out which Bronze Age person - because these were individual graves for important folk - rated a mound this size. The walk itself is straightforward; the barrows aren't hidden away but sit accessible on managed land. Allow 30 minutes if you're just popping over, longer if you want to sit and contemplate.

Historically minded walkers will get the most from this. Kids might find them moderately interesting for ten minutes, then get restless - they're lumps of earth, not castles. But if you're doing the Pewsey Vale properly, combining this with other downland archaeology in the area, it slots in nicely without eating a whole day.

Totteridge Farm Camping Pods just six miles away makes for a solid base. The site's well-rated, and from there you can piece together a proper Bronze Age itinerary across this part of Wiltshire. Free to visit, as far as parking goes - just find a spot and walk in. Go when the chalk downland's green; winter rain makes the paths bog-standard muddy.