Been there readers recommend the best places of historical interest to visit around the UK, from Ilfracombe's hand-carved 19th-century tunnels to Rye's fairytale castle
WINNING TIP: Tunnels Beaches, Ilfracombe
Tunnels dug by Welsh miners in the 1820s lead from the town to rockpools and blue flag beaches. Go when the tide is low, giving you a better chance to see a huge variety of sea life, such as some rare corals. Close by is Watermouth Castle, with a dungeon, theme park, gardens and a maze.
Tunnels Beaches: adults �2.25, children �1.75, 01271 879123, tunnelsbeaches.co.uk; Watermouth Castle: adults �13, children �11, 01271 867474, watermouthcastle.com
Traveller4550
New Lanark Mills, South Lanarkshire
Walking down into the steep-sided valley that houses Robert Owen's Utopian mill town is like walking into Brigadoon. The town has been painstakingly restored to its 19th-century appearance. Don't miss the Annie McLeod Experience, which gives an overview of village life and manages to be both informative and pretty darn creepy. Part museum, part living history attraction and part beauty spot, New Lanark tells a rare uplifting history of industrial Britain.
Adults �8.50, children �6, family of four �24.50; 01555 661345, newlanark.org
TheQs
Castle Rising, Kings Lynn
This is the most evocative ruin in England ? an almost complete shell, with shadowed corridors and an exquisite, intact white chamber. This was the prison of the She-Wolf of France, Isabella, confined by her son for conspiring to murder her husband, Edward II. Let your children belt up and down the vast surrounding earthwork, and dart past the grooves where the old portcullis fell.
Adults �4, children �2.50; 01553 631330, castlerising.co.uk
Intheshed
Old Palace of John Whitgift School, Croydon
Tucked away in the most unexpected location is the former Archbishops's Palace, now a school. The building dates from the 12th century and on appointed days in the school holidays or in September you can take a tour of the 15th-century Great Hall and Chapel and see Queen Elizabeth I's bedroom. This beautiful building, which is in Old Palace Road, is a relatively unknown treasure, except for those of us fortunate enough to have spent our schooldays there.
020-8680 0467, oldpalaceofjohnwhitgift.org
BuntyB
Bodiam Castle, Rye
Set amid sprawling greenery and a flower-splashed moat, Bodiam Castle could be straight out of a fairy tale. The ruins have spiralling steps and picturesque archways that lead between the ramparts. Built in 1385, the castle was both a defence against French invaders and a family home. During the peak season there are costumed actors on hand to provide further insight.
Adults �6.80, children �3.40, near Robertsbridge; 01580 830196, nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-bodiamcastle
Clareharwood
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Wrexham
Forming part of the Llangollen canal, the aqueduct spans 307 metres. It is used by canal boats year round, and the workmanship of Thomas Telford and William Jessop's early 19th-century engineering feat can also be enjoyed by pedestrians on the adjacent towpath, towering above the river Dee ? traversing this canal is likened to being suspended in mid-air.
The Llangollen Wharf centre runs boat trips across the aqueduct, adults from �12, children from �10; 01978 860702, horsedrawnboats.co.uk
Arros
Noltland Castle, Orkney Islands
The Orkneys are one big historic site ? a treasure trove spanning the centuries from the stone age to the second world war. Visit magical stone circles, atmospheric tombs, quaint fishing villages and one of the oldest surviving dwellings in Europe. My favourite is Noltland Castle on the small island of Westray. No tickets or stewards ? simply knock on the door of the nearby farmhouse for the key. You'll most likely be the king or queen of your castle and have it all to yourself.
01856 872856, visitorkney.com
OurVin
Roman Baths, Bath
I'm not a great one for the whole "spa experience" thing. And I baulked at the �12 admission. But my fianc�e wanted to have a look round and we'd got a discount ticket as part of the city bus tour. I would have gladly handed over double the admission for the enormous privilege of viewing what the curators of this marvellous exhibit have done. We spent an absorbing three hours looking around the fabulously presented ancient Roman baths. Technical wizardry allows you to see the ruins as they really were, projected right on to the remains as they are now; complete with spectral, be-toga'd Romans wandering about the place, taking the waters. Various recorded tour guides are available pitched at brainy, history-fanatical adults, less demanding but keen-to-know adults, and children. Go there now, and don't forget to taste the sulphurous waters on the way out through the Pump House!
Adults �12 (�12.50 July/August), children �7.80, Stall Street, Bath, 01225 477785, romanbaths.co.uk
BrianStoat
Highgate Cemetery, London
This atmospheric graveyard in north London is full of architectural gems, and it paints a fascinating portrait of Victorian times. If you take the tour of the West Cemetery (book in advance), your guide will reveal intriguing stories behind the lives and deaths of the eminent and ordinary Victorians who are buried here. Enchanting paths wind through woodland, amid ivy-clad angels and jumbled headstones, leading to the Lebanon Circle Vaults, where you'll find a 300-year-old Cedar of Lebanon tree. Other highlights are the Egyptian Avenue, the Terrace Catacombs, and the enormous Julius Beer Mausoleum. In the East Cemetery you can wander at will, and here you will find the tomb of the most famous Highgate inhabitant, Karl Marx.
West Cemetery tours: Adults �7, children (8-16 years, no under-eights) �3; East Cemetery: adults �3, children �1. Swain's Lane, 020-8340 1834, highgate-cemetery.org
Troutiemcfish
Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset
Even the kids will be awestruck by these atmospheric ruins, still standing after more than 1,400 years of worship, and possibly more. The legendary burial place of Arthur and Guinevere, it's the perfect place to play kings and queens and summon up the mysteries of the past. With plenty of space for picnics in 36 acres of tranquil parkland, this is an oasis of calm for stressed-out parents seeking spiritual sanctuary. Did Joseph of Arimathea, by some accounts the Virgin Mary's uncle, come to the abbey? Did he plant the Holy Thorn Tree, which has a flourishing sapling in the abbey's grounds? Lively costumed guides and intriguing relics help you make up your own mind. Modern marvels include cafe, museum, shop.
Adults, �6, children �4, family of 4 �16, 01458 832267, glastonburyabbey.com
Emilyfromweymouth
Danebury Iron Age Hill Fort, Stockbridge
It is so easy to imagine this 2,500-year-old hill site as a fort ? it's an energetic climb to the top, then the children can storm the gates. It's an easy walk round the perimeter ring among the trees, and you can see for miles around and picture the people inside.
01962 860948, tinyurl.com/693gnqv
Hypnodendron
Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven
This is a half-ruined castle with civil war and Jacobite history in an epic coastal setting. Unlike some castles, it isn't a show home.
Adults �5, children �2, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, 01569 762173, dunnottarcastle.co.uk
JonA1966
Broughton Castle, Banbury
This moated castle set in luscious north Oxfordshire parkland was the site of civil war sieges and battles, and the setting for the film Shakespeare in Love. Broughton Castle is still occupied by the Saye-Sele family and lowers its drawbridge on selected days from Easter onwards. June and July always promise events, from corricle racing on the moat to Shakespeare productions in the parkland, and this is also the time when the walled garden is in full rose-scented bloom.
Adults �7, children �3, 01295 276070, broughtoncastle.com
Welshlyn
Tre'r Ceiri, Caernarfon
The site of Tre'r Ceiri is a sprawling settlement on the peak of Yr Eifl, with significant stone ramparts, one of the most dramatic and impressive iron age hill forts in Britain. Around 150 iron age huts can be explored. This site is ideal for those who enjoy combining a walk with an interesting goal: there's a not-too-strenuous hill walk along fairly easy terrain, through hills covered with heather and gorse. The summit offers views of Snowdonia to the north, the Irish sea to the west and at your feet a bird's eye view of the beautiful Llyn peninsula.
museumwales.ac.uk/en/2373/
Buddug
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/apr/18/readers-tips-uk-historic-sites
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