Garden Gnome Tree

The Garden Gnome Tree near Shildon is exactly what it sounds like - a sprawling tree absolutely covered in garden gnomes. Hundreds of them. It's one of those wonderfully daft British roadside attractions that you'd dismiss until you actually see it, and then you can't quite look away.

Someone's taken a proper oak or similar and completely festooned it with gnomes of every description - fishing gnomes, gnomes on tiny benches, gnomes that have seen better days. It's anarchic and cheerful in equal measure, the sort of thing that makes you laugh out loud or groan depending on your sense of humour. Either way, you'll take a photo.

This isn't a day out in itself - you're looking at ten minutes tops, maybe twenty if you're the type to photograph each gnome individually. But it's the sort of oddball detour that makes a Yorkshire holiday memorable. It works brilliantly as a stopping point between the nearby glamping options - Eden Grange and Hewn Yorkshire are both within easy reach - and gives you something to chat about over an evening drink.

Families with young kids often get a real kick out of it; older children tend toward bemusement. The whole thing has that pleasantly ramshackle quality that reminds you why English countryside eccentricity is rather wonderful. It costs nothing to pull over and gawp, which is very much in its favour.