Standing stones

The standing stones near York are proper impressive once you're actually standing in front of them. These ancient markers rise from the Yorkshire landscape with the kind of quiet authority that makes you realise how long they've been here - we're talking thousands of years. You walk out to them across farmland, which is half the appeal; there's no visitor centre or gift shop nonsense, just you, the stones, and the flat horizon stretching toward the distant Wolds.

They're best visited by people who enjoy a bit of walking and don't need constant interpretation boards to feel engaged. History buffs will spend time trying to work out the original purpose and layout, while families with restless kids might find twenty minutes is enough. The lack of formal facilities means you're looking at a fairly self-directed experience - bring a decent guidebook or do your homework beforehand.

What makes this worthwhile is the remoteness. You're only a few miles from York's chaos, but out here it's genuinely quiet. Combine it with a base at York Meadows Caravan & Camping Park or Fox Hill Holiday Park, both highly rated and close by, and you've got a proper day of it - York's medieval streets in the morning, then out to the stones in the afternoon when the light turns golden. It's the kind of thing that sticks with you more than you'd expect.