Crampton Tower Museum

The tower itself is what stops you in your tracks - a squat, brick Victorian structure rising from the Kent coast near Birchington like some forgotten sentinel. It's essentially a museum dedicated to John Percy Crampton, a 19th-century engineer who spent his life tinkering with mechanical innovations, and the tower is crammed with his contraptions and the odd bit of engineering memorabilia.

Inside, it's genuinely quirky. You're looking at sketches, models, bits of brass, and explanations of what the man was trying to achieve - some of it makes perfect sense, other parts leave you scratching your head wondering if Victorians were just inventing for the sake of it. The climb to the top is short and steep, which kids can manage fine, though the space is cramped and there's not much reason to linger once you've had a look around.

It works best if you're already in the area - say, staying at Birchington Vale Holiday Park - rather than planning a special trip. Birchington itself is straightforward seaside stuff, so if the weather's dodgy or you need a break from beach walking, an hour here fills a gap. Don't expect interactive displays or the polish of a larger museum. What you get is a snapshot of one man's obsession with mechanical progress, which is either fascinating or a bit tedious depending on how you feel about Victorian engineering. Free entry would be decent value; if there's a charge, weigh it against what else is nearby.