Bastle: Black Middens

The moment you spot Black Middens, you understand why 16th-century Northumbrians built defensively. This bastle house - a fortified farmhouse - sits squat and solid near Hexham, its thick stone walls speaking of raids and rustlers that once made this borderland genuinely dangerous. You're looking at someone's home that doubled as a fortress, with the livestock penned on the ground floor and the family sleeping above, ready to defend what little they had.

It's a proper archaeological site rather than a visitor attraction with tea rooms. The structure itself is the draw - you can walk around it, peer at the narrow windows designed for muskets not views, and feel the weight of that building's purpose. Allow twenty minutes unless you're the type to sit with a notebook sketching every stone. It's free and accessible year-round, though you'll want decent boots; the approach gets muddy after rain.

This works brilliantly if you're camping or glamping nearby - Wild Northumbrian Tipis is barely a mile away, and it's the sort of stop that breaks up a longer Northumberland walking holiday. Kids aged ten and up will get it; younger ones might find it a bit abstract. History types will love the rawness of it, no interpretation boards softening the edges, just ruins that tell you exactly how harsh life was up here. Pair it with a walk in the South Tyne Valley and you've got a proper day. Hexham makes a good base if you need town facilities.