Oakes Folly

You'll spot it from across the field - a peculiar brick tower rising from the Suffolk countryside about four miles east of Bury Saint Edmunds. Oakes Folly is one of those wonderfully daft Georgian follies that don't really serve a purpose beyond looking interesting, which somehow makes it rather endearing.

The tower itself dates back to the 18th century when a landowner decided to build it as a visual focal point for his estate. It's a proper bit of eccentricity - the sort of thing that makes you smile at the sheer pointlessness of it all. You can walk out to it from the road, though the approach is across farmland so wellies are a good shout depending on the season. The structure's best viewed from a distance, frankly, but there's something about standing near it that captures that odd English impulse to create follies in the middle of nowhere.

Historians and architecture enthusiasts will find it interesting enough, though you're looking at maybe twenty minutes here rather than a full afternoon. Families with young kids might enjoy the novelty of the walk and spotting it across the landscape, but it won't hold attention for long. Solo walkers exploring the Suffolk countryside will appreciate it as a landmark on a wider route.

If you're based at The Four Bells Glamping just down the road, it makes a pleasant detour on a country walk. Worth the small effort, but don't rearrange your itinerary around it.