National Trust - Hinton Ampner

The house sits on a gentle slope south of Alresford, all brick and flint with that particular Hampshire charm that makes you wonder why you haven't visited before. Hinton Ampner is a National Trust property - a Regency villa that spent decades in the hands of Ralph Dutton, who basically rewrote the whole place to suit his fastidious taste. Inside, it's all elegant proportions, good furniture, and the kind of carefully curated collections that make history buffs properly happy. The real draw though is the garden. Formal gardens sweep down the hillside with proper structure - hedging, terraces, and sight lines that Dutton clearly agonised over. If you're camping nearby at Holden Farm or Woodlands, it's an easy run over for a morning or afternoon.

The house rewards a proper look around, not a quick dash. Allow a good two to three hours if you want to read the room labels and take it seriously. Families with younger kids might find it a bit static - there's no interactive stuff, and the gardens, while beautiful, won't keep a five-year-old entertained for long. But older kids learning about 20th-century taste and design? They'll get something from it. The village of Alresford itself is worth a wander afterwards - proper old coaching town with decent shops and cafes.

National Trust members get in free, non-members pay, though hours and exact charges vary seasonally. Spring and early summer are when the gardens really sing. It's not a massive undertaking, but it's well worth the detour if you're staying in the area or passing through Hampshire.