Castle Howard

The moment you swing through those gates near York, you realise you're not dealing with some cramped medieval fortress. Castle Howard is vast - a proper stately home that sprawls across the North Yorkshire landscape like it owns the place, which it does. Built in the early 1700s, this baroque mansion sits at the end of a mile-long drive with parkland rolling away on all sides. The building itself is extraordinary: turrets, cupolas, and that famous dome rising above everything else.

Inside, it's all gilded ceilings, marble staircases, and rooms stuffed with art and furniture that actually makes you stop walking and stare. The grounds are the real draw though - you can easily spend half a day wandering the gardens, the lake, and the mausoleum dotted about. Kids tend to get a decent amount out of it because there's space to run about, and older children interested in architecture will find plenty to get their teeth into.

Budget a good four hours minimum, more if you want to explore properly. It's not free, but it's worth the admission fee. Best avoided on bank holidays when it's rammed with school groups. The nearby holiday parks at York Meadows and Fox Hill make perfect bases for a castle-spotting trip - both are highly rated and handily close for exploring this stretch of Yorkshire.