Ammerdown Tower

The tower stands solitary on high ground near Mells, a sturdy Victorian folly that catches you off guard when you round the bend. Built in the 1870s, it's a proper landmark - the sort of thing that makes you wonder what Victorian landowner decided this hilltop needed a tower. The views across the Somerset countryside are genuinely good, rolling away in every direction, and it's worth the walk to get up there.

It's free to visit, which helps, and there's no faffing about with opening hours - you just turn up. Allow twenty minutes to walk here from the village and maybe ten to poke about and take photos. The tower itself is closed to the public, so you're admiring it from outside, but that's fine. The real draw is the location and the sense of stumbling upon something slightly odd and local.

Families with older kids will enjoy the walk and the views. Younger ones might lose interest quickly once they realise they can't actually climb inside. It's the sort of stop that works well if you're based at Glamping on the Hill - it's only a couple of miles away and breaks up a morning nicely. Worth bundling into a longer walk around Mells itself, which has a proper medieval church and some decent villages nearby. Don't expect anything dramatic; this is quiet Somerset, and the appeal is in the simplicity of it.