Buckingham Old Gaol

The old gaol sits right in Buckingham town centre, a proper reminder that this market town wasn't always as genteel as it appears today. You're walking through Georgian streets and then suddenly - thick stone walls, barred windows, the lot. It's a working museum that tells you exactly what it was: a place where people were locked up, often for crimes that wouldn't raise an eyebrow now.

What you actually see depends on the day and what's on, but the building itself is the main attraction. The cells are small - genuinely claustrophobic - and there's no getting away from how grim incarceration must have been. History enthusiasts and anyone interested in how the justice system worked will find it absorbing. Kids can go a bit wide-eyed at the reality of it all, though it's not gratuitously gruesome.

It's worth combining with a stroll around Buckingham itself. The town's got enough going on to fill a morning - decent shops, cafes, and other bits of historical interest dotted about. If you're camping at one of the nearby sites like Hedgehog Retreat or Silverstone Woodlands, it's close enough for a rainy afternoon sortie without burning half your day on travel. Admission details and opening hours vary, so ring ahead before you go - nothing worse than turning up to find it shut.