Fonthill Abbey

The sight of Fonthill Abbey's solitary tower rising above the Wiltshire countryside hits you immediately - this isn't your typical English ruin. What you're looking at are the remnants of an eccentric millionaire's folly, built in 1796 by William Beckford, a man who clearly had more money than sense and far too much time on his hands.

Beckford was obsessed with Gothic architecture, so he hired James Wyatt to design him a house that looked like a cathedral. The tower - around 300 feet when complete - was the crowning glory. It's gone now, spectacularly collapsed in 1825, but what survives tells you everything about his ambitions and delusions. You can wander the grounds and see the gatehouse, the abbey walls, and fragments of what was once the grandest bit of architectural vanity in England.

Historically minded visitors will find it fascinating. The story of Beckford himself - a writer, art collector, and genuinely strange bloke - matters more than the stones. Kids might manage thirty minutes before the novelty wears thin, though the ruins are decent for scrambling about.

Nearby Salisbury is your reference point, about eight miles south. If you're staying at Marshwood Farm Camping, Fonthill Abbey makes a reasonable half-day trip combined with a walk across the Wiltshire downs. Admission costs vary, so check locally before heading out. Go on a clear day - the tower's absence means you need decent visibility to appreciate the scale of what was lost.