Cheddar Viewing Tower

Standing 200 feet above the Cheddar Gorge, this Victorian tower rewards the climb with sweeping views across the Somerset Levels and Mendip Hills. The walk up from the village centre takes about twenty minutes through beech woodland, though it's a proper climb that'll get your heart pumping. Worth every step, mind you.

Families with teenagers will love it - younger kids might find the ascent a bit much, but the views from the top are genuinely spectacular on a clear day. You can see across to Glastonbury Tor on one side and the Bristol Channel on the other. Photography enthusiasts should definitely pack their cameras.

The tower itself is part of the wider Cheddar Gorge experience, so if you're staying at one of the nearby holiday parks like Cheddar Woods Resort & Spa or Bucklegrove Holiday Park, it makes for a brilliant morning out. Allow about an hour and a half total, including the climb and time to properly take in the views. Best visited in the morning when the light's clearest and before the crowds arrive.

Combine it with a visit to the caves below for a full day exploring one of Britain's most dramatic limestone gorges. The contrast between the underground caverns and the elevated panorama makes for a cracking day out in Somerset.