PENDRAGON CASTLE, CUMBRIA

These romantic ruins come with an Arthurian legend: it is said that the first castle on this site was built in the fifth century by Uther Pendragon, best known as the father of King Arthur. One story has Pendragon trying in vain to divert the course of the nearby river Eden so that it might serve as a moat. Regrettably, there’s not a shred of archaeological evidence to back up this – and other similar – tales: the very earliest workings here are from the 12th century.

The diminutive fortress is all but swallowed up by its setting, dwarfed by Mallerstang Edge to one side and Wild Boar Fell to the other. Fashioned with the attractive local stone that creates a jigsaw pattern of sandy browns and greys, Pendragon is the very definition of a craggy castle. Its uneven crumbling walls gnaw at the sky like a colossal set of decaying teeth. The remnants of its original 12th-century Norman keep are locked in an eternal slow dance with a 14th-century garderobe turret, while various oddities from the 17th century look awkwardly on.

Doorways, arrow slits, windows in various styles, the lower steps of a spiral staircase optimistically heading into thin air – they all seem to have been placed haphazardly around the castle remains. Open any reasonable times during daylight. On private land; take care if visiting and do not approach the walls, which are unstable. Mallerstang Dale, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria CA17 4JT. No website.