Washingley Castle (site of)

There's not much left to see at Washingley Castle, to be honest. The site near Peterborough is essentially earthworks - low mounds and ditches that mark where a Norman castle once stood, probably built in the 12th century. It's the sort of place that requires a bit of imagination to get anything from it. You won't find reconstructed walls or visitor facilities here.

That said, if you're into archaeology or medieval history, it's worth a quick detour. The earthworks are still visible and reasonably well-preserved for a site that's been abandoned for centuries. It gives you a sense of how scattered Norman fortifications were across the Midlands and East Anglia - not every castle was a grand stone affair like you see elsewhere. The surrounding landscape is fairly open, so there's a decent walk to be had if you make an afternoon of it.

You'd want to allow an hour maximum for the site itself, though the real appeal is combining it with the decent caravan parks nearby - Castle Farm and Ferry Meadows are both highly rated and give you a proper base for exploring the Peterborough area. This isn't a stand-alone destination that'll keep you occupied for long, but as part of a broader park holiday in Cambridgeshire, it fits in neatly. Bring a good map or GPS because signage is minimal. Best visited in spring or autumn when the ground isn't waterlogged - it can get boggy.