Chesters Hill Fort

The walk up Chesters Hill rewards you with proper views across East Lothian's rolling countryside - assuming the Scottish weather cooperates. This Iron Age fort sits about 200 metres above sea level, and the earthworks are still visible if you know what you're looking at: ancient defensive ditches and ramparts that once protected an Iron Age settlement.

It's the sort of place that appeals most to serious history buffs and walkers who enjoy combining a bit of archaeology with fresh air. Families with older kids will get something out of it, but younger ones might struggle to visualise what they're standing in - it's not the sort of fort with towers or reconstructions. Allow an hour or so to walk up, poke around, and soak in the landscape. Free to visit, no facilities on site.

The approach takes you across farmland, so check you've got permission before heading up if it's not clearly a public right of way. Summer's the obvious choice, when the ground's firmer and visibility better. Winter hillwalking here is doable but muddy.

If you're staying at Haven Seton Sands Holiday Village five miles away, this works well as a morning excursion before heading back to the park. It's the sort of outing that justifies being in East Lothian rather than somewhere with softer attractions - a genuine sense of walking where people actually lived two thousand years ago.