Potterne Field

Out on the open downs just outside Devizes, Potterne Field is one of those Wiltshire landmarks that stops you dead if you know what you're looking at. It's an Iron Age hillfort - roughly circular ramparts thrown up around 2,500 years ago by people who saw this high ground and thought, yes, that'll do for a settlement. The earthworks are still clearly visible, especially when the light hits them at the right angle, which transforms those old defensive ditches into something genuinely atmospheric.

Walkers get the most from this place. There's no visitor centre, no café, no interpretation boards - just you, the wind, and the remains of something ancient. The views across the Wiltshire plateau are proper something, mind you, stretching out to the horizon in all directions. It's bleak in a way the south of England rarely is. You'll want a good hour here if you're the type to stand about contemplating Bronze Age life, less if you're simply after a walk with views.

Its real advantage is proximity to Devizes, which means you can couple it with time at any of the local camps like Mill Farm Glamping just down the road, or Devizes Camping and Caravanning Club Site. The surrounding area has plenty of longer walking routes threading through the chalk downs. Go when the grass is short - winter's clearer, though muddy underfoot. Summer heat can be relentless up there with no shelter whatsoever.