Pontefract Castle

The ruins of Pontefract Castle dominate the town centre in a way that makes you stop and stare. What's left are substantial stone walls and earthworks that tell you immediately this was once a proper fortress - nothing flimsy about it. Built in the 11th century, it played a starring role in the English Civil War before Cromwell's forces knocked it about, and you can read that violent history written into the broken stonework.

Walking around the remains gives you a real sense of the castle's scale. The keep still stands impressively, and tracing the outer walls shows how it once dominated Pontefract. It's free to wander, which is brilliant, and you can spend twenty minutes poking about or an hour if you're the type who reads every information board and takes in the views across town.

Histor buffs will get more from it than most - the detail of the sieges and royalist occupation fascinates if you're into English Civil War stuff. Kids under ten might find it a bit 'just old rocks', to be honest. It's nothing like a fully reconstructed castle with costumed guides. That said, it's a proper landmark, and walking it after an hour in nearby Wakefield town centre makes sense.

Nostell Priory Holiday Park sits just four miles away, and you could easily combine the castle with the priory's gardens and grounds on the same afternoon. Both are free or very cheap to visit, making for a solid day out without breaking the bank.