The 99 Steps

A flight of stone steps carved into a hillside near Shipston-on-Stour, the 99 Steps is one of those wonderfully obscure pieces of English countryside that locals know about and visitors stumble upon by accident. The steps themselves are the real draw - worn smooth by centuries of feet, they climb steeply up the slope with absolutely no fencing or modern safety nonsense, which is either brilliant or terrifying depending on your relationship with edges.

The origin story is properly murky. Local legend pins them to monks or pilgrims from way back, though nobody seems entirely certain. What matters is they're there, and climbing them takes perhaps five minutes flat, though you'll want longer to catch your breath and take in the view across the Oxfordshire landscape. It's best done on a clear day when visibility stretches properly.

This works well for walkers and history enthusiasts who don't mind a bit of mystery - the kind of people who like finding things rather than having them explained. Kids will either love the scramble or find it boring once they've clambered up and down once. It's genuinely free and costs nothing but a few minutes of your time.

If you're camping nearby - Shire Camping and Kirby Farm Caravan Site are both within a few miles - it's absolutely worth a detour on your way through the area. Don't expect facilities or visitor centres. This is proper DIY sightseeing, and that's precisely what makes it worth the visit.