Woodbury Castle

The ramparts of Woodbury Castle rise from the Devon hillside like something from a half-remembered history lesson, except here you're actually standing on them. This Iron Age hill fort sits just outside Exeter, commanding views across the Exe Valley that probably looked much the same two thousand years ago when Celtic tribes built these defences. You'll walk the grassed-over ditches and banks - they're more impressive than photos suggest, especially when you realise the sheer effort involved in heaping all that earth by hand.

It's a proper site for anyone interested in archaeology without needing a guide book attached to their hip. Walkers love it because the ascent is manageable and the views reward the effort. Kids will find it fairly engaging for thirty minutes or so - room to run around, walls to clamber on - though it's not a place that'll hold their attention for hours. There's no visitor centre, no café, just the fort itself and some interpretive boards if you're lucky.

The whole visit takes ninety minutes comfortably, and it costs nothing. Free admission, free parking nearby. Castle Brake Holiday Park sits practically on the doorstep, less than half a mile away, making Woodbury Castle an obvious add-on to a wider park holiday along this stretch of coast. Ladram Bay and Haven Devon Cliffs are both within striking distance too, so you could easily combine this with beach time at Budleigh Salterton or Sidmouth. Early morning visits pay dividends - fewer people, softer light, and the whole hillside feels rather less like a tourist attraction and rather more like something genuinely ancient.