Hadlow Castle

The tower catches you by surprise as you round the bend near Tonbridge - a proper Victorian folly rising 100 feet from the Kentish countryside like something out of a Gothic novel. Hadlow Castle isn't a castle at all, but a red-brick tower built in the 1830s by a wealthy landowner who fancied himself a patron of the romantic. These days it stands mostly empty, a striking reminder of Victorian eccentricity.

You can't get inside - the tower's off-limits to visitors - but the exterior alone makes it worth a detour if you're staying at one of the nearby parks like The Hop Farm or River View Camping. The approach road winds past some decent views, and photographers will spend a good half hour finding angles. History buffs might find the backstory interesting, though there's not much interpretation on site.

For families with young kids, it's a bit of a let-down - there's nowhere to go, nothing to do, and the kids will ask why you've stopped the car within five minutes. Walkers, though, can thread it into a longer loop around the village. The tower photographs best from a distance, so don't expect to find a close-up vantage point.

Admission details are thin on the ground, so ring ahead if you're making a special trip. Most likely it's free to view from the outside, which is all you're getting anyway. A quick roadside stop rather than a destination in itself, but striking enough to break up a park-based holiday in the area.