Cambridge Arm Swing Bridge

The Cambridge Arm Swing Bridge is one of those forgotten bits of industrial heritage that locals walk past without looking twice, but once you know what you're staring at, it becomes properly fascinating. Spanning the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal just outside Gloucester, this Victorian engineering feat still works - a rotating swing bridge that opens to let narrowboats through, operated by hand just as it was in the 1880s.

What makes it worth a stop is the sheer mechanical simplicity of the thing. Watch how the counterweight system lets a single person swing 60 tons of metal across the canal. There's no machinery, no electrics, just cast iron and leverage doing the job it was designed for. Most days you'll find the bridge in its closed position across the waterway, but if you time it right during narrowboat traffic, you might see it in action.

Walkers and history buffs will get the most from this - it's not a destination that'll keep kids entertained for long unless they're genuinely interested in Victorian engineering. Allow half an hour for a proper look and some photos. It's free to visit, and the canal towpath itself is brilliant for stretching your legs in either direction.

If you're based at Tudor Caravan Park or The Riverside at The George Inn, both less than a mile away, the bridge makes an easy morning walk from your pitch. Combine it with a wander along the canal and a pint in Gloucester proper, and you've got a solid half-day sorted.