Uley Bury

Walk up to the Iron Age fort and you're standing on 2,000 years of history, literally. Uley Bury is a proper hillfort - all ramparts and ditches - sitting high above the Gloucestershire countryside about four miles south of Nympsfield. The earthworks are still impressive even if you're not an archaeology type: two massive defensive banks sweep across the hilltop, and on a clear day the views across the Cotswolds are worth the climb alone.

This is one for the walking crowd, really. There's no visitor centre, no cafe, no interpretation boards spelling everything out. You get what you see - bronze age settlement remains and the dramatic landscape. Allow an hour to properly explore the site and absorb the views. Free access, of course, because it's open countryside. Best visited in drier months when the paths aren't a mud bath.

If you're based at Tudor Caravan Park or Pepper Pot Caravan Park - both under five miles away - Uley Bury makes a cracking morning walk that ties in nicely with other Cotswold exploring. Combine it with a visit to Symonds Yat or the Forest of Dean, both within reasonable driving distance of Gloucester. The site's a bit of a rough diamond - you won't get the polished heritage experience - but that's rather the point. It feels wild and unmanicured, which honestly makes it more interesting than some of the over-managed alternatives.