Eynesbury sign

The old Eynesbury sign stands just outside St. Neots, a modest but genuinely interesting survivor from an era when every village announced itself with proper pride. It's the kind of thing you'd walk past without a second glance if you didn't know what you were looking at, which is precisely why it's worth stopping for.

Eynesbury was swallowed up by St. Neots centuries ago, but this sign marks where the old settlement once drew its boundaries. There's something rather moving about that - a single artefact holding the memory of a place that's long since vanished into the modern town. It won't take long to see; five minutes if you're taking photos, less if you're just paying respects.

Historians and local history buffs will find it genuinely interesting, though families with restless kids might find it underwhelming. There's no visitor centre, no interpretation boards - just the sign itself and what you bring to it. That's rather refreshing, actually.

If you're staying at St. Neots Camping and Caravanning Club Site just down the road, it's barely worth getting the car out for - a pleasant walk into town and back. Pair it with a proper explore of St. Neots itself, which has more than enough to fill an afternoon. For those based further afield at Cambridgeshire Lakes, it's more of a curiosity than a destination. But if you're interested in how England's villages have transformed and merged, it repays a visit.