The Great Stone

A massive lump of granite sits on the banks of the River Tees just outside Barnard Castle, and that's essentially it - but somehow it works. The Great Stone has been there for thousands of years, deposited by glaciers during the ice age, and locals have always made a fuss of it. You can walk right up to it, touch it, stand next to it for scale. It's genuinely enormous.

Walkers on the Pennine Way or those following the Teesdale Valley will pass this way naturally enough. It's not a massive detour if you're already in the area, though it's the sort of place you'll either find fascinating or feel a bit puzzled by - depends entirely on whether you're interested in geology and landscape history. Kids might get a kick out of clambering around the rocks for five minutes, but don't expect them to stay entertained for long.

The practical stuff: it's free, it's accessible, and you can visit whenever you fancy - there are no gates or opening hours. Allow maybe twenty minutes unless you're really into ice age deposits and want to read up properly on how it got there. The nearest town is Barnard Castle itself, which has everything you need for a proper break - shops, pubs, the excellent Bowes Museum if the weather turns.

If you're based at one of the caravan parks within walking distance - Barnard Castle Camping and Caravanning Club Site is barely half a mile away - this is an easy morning ramble before heading into town or exploring the higher moorland walks further up the dale.