Braunton Great Field

England's largest surviving medieval open field system stretches across 365 acres of Devon countryside, a proper slice of agricultural history that most visitors walk straight past without realizing what they're looking at. Braunton Great Field has been farmed using the same strip system for over a thousand years - long narrow plots called 'lands' that still follow the medieval boundaries marked by ancient stones.

Walking the public footpaths that cross the field, you'll spot these boundary markers dotted about like ancient waypoints. The whole system is a living museum really, still worked by local farmers who rent the individual strips just as their ancestors did. History buffs will find it fascinating, though don't expect grand ruins or information boards - this is archaeology you have to work a bit to appreciate.

Families might struggle to hold younger children's attention here unless they're particularly keen on medieval farming methods. It's the sort of place that rewards a slow wander and some imagination about what English countryside looked like centuries ago.

From Woolacombe Sands Holiday Park or Ruda Holiday Park, it's a short drive inland that makes a decent break from beach time. The field sits just outside Braunton village, so you can easily combine it with a proper Devon cream tea afterwards. Free to explore, though parking in the village can get tight during summer.