Admiral Napier

The seafront at Lee-on-the-Solent holds a proper slice of Victorian military history in Admiral Napier - a coastal fortification that's genuinely worth a wander if you're already in the area. Built in the 1860s as part of Britain's defence against a potential French invasion, it's one of the Palmerston Forts that dot this stretch of Hampshire coast. The structure itself isn't flashy - think solid brick gun emplacement rather than castle turrets - but that's rather the point. You get a genuine sense of how seriously the Victorians took their coastal security.

The site sits right on the foreshore, which means you can walk round it properly, peering at the gun positions and imagining the cannons trained out towards the Solent. On a clear day, the Isle of Wight sits across the water - excellent context for why they fortified this spot. Allow an hour or so, longer if you're into industrial archaeology or Victorian military engineering. There's no visitor facility as such, so bring a coffee from Lee-on-the-Solent itself and make an afternoon of it.

Families won't find it thrilling for hours, but kids interested in forts and history will get the appeal. It works brilliantly as part of a wider Solent walk - you can link it with visits to Kingfisher Caravan Park or Hayling Island Holiday Park for a proper coastal stay. Free to visit, no crowds, proper slice of England's paranoid past.