Cathedral Oak

The Cathedral Oak stands alone in a field near Pewsey, and it's the kind of thing you either make a pilgrimage to or you don't. This is an ancient oak tree, properly ancient - the sort that's been around for eight centuries or so, with a trunk so vast you genuinely can't wrap your arms around it. The tree has a cathedral-like quality to it, which is where the name comes from, though some days it just looks like a very old tree standing in the middle of nowhere.

It's free to visit and there's no entrance fee or opening hours nonsense. You can rock up whenever you fancy, really, though you'll need to find parking nearby and walk in. The tree itself isn't particularly photogenic from every angle, and the novelty can wear thin if you're expecting some grand visitor experience. That said, if you're into natural history or you appreciate the idea of standing next to something that's watched over eight hundred years of English countryside life, there's something rather moving about it.

If you're camping at Totteridge Farm or Hillview Park nearby, it's worth the short drive and a quick walk to see it. Don't plan your entire Wiltshire trip around it though. Give yourself twenty minutes, maybe half an hour if you're chatty. Walkers might incorporate it into a longer route across the downs. Kids will find it mildly interesting, then want to get on with something else. Best visited in autumn when the light's gentler.