Gilpin Obelisk

The Obelisk stands alone on a windswept bit of moorland above Dalton-in-Furness, easy to miss if you're not looking for it. Built in 1879 to commemorate William Gilpin, an 18th-century vicar and landscape theorist who basically invented the concept of the "picturesque", it's the sort of thing that makes you wonder why anyone bothers marking it at all. Yet here it is - a proper tall stone monument in the middle of nowhere, with views that genuinely open up across the Furness Peninsula.

It's not a destination in itself, to be frank. You won't spend more than twenty minutes here, taking photos and reading whatever's left of the inscription if you can make it out. The walk to reach it is the real draw - moorland paths that'll give you proper exercise, and the solitude you get is worth more than the monument ever could be. Walkers and hiking types will get far more from this than families with small children, though determined ones with decent boots might find the trek satisfying.

Access is free, naturally, and there's no visitor centre or facilities to speak of. Go on a clear day if you can manage it - the views south towards Morecambe Bay actually do something for you then. Staying at Harbour Lights Campsite near Dalton puts you within easy reach of both this and the coastal walking proper. It's a solid half-day loop if you're in the area and don't mind moorland grit.