Old John

You'll spot Old John long before you reach it - that chunky stone tower sitting on top of Bradgate Park's highest point, visible from miles around Leicestershire. It's a folly, built in 1784 by the Grey family as a whim, and it commands proper views across the park and surrounding countryside. The walk up takes about twenty minutes from the park entrance, steady but not punishing, and the tower itself is open to climb if you've got the energy for narrow spiral stairs.

Historically it's not deeply complicated - it's decoration first, function second - but there's something appealing about Victorian eccentricity in stone. Kids can engage with it as a goal rather than absorb its backstory, which is honest enough. The real draw is the panorama from the top and the walk itself through Bradgate Park's woodland and open ground. On a clear day you can see well beyond Leicester.

Free to visit, though you'll need to pay for car parking at Bradgate Park or access via one of the nearby caravan parks like Charnwood Acres or Proctors Park if you're staying locally. Allow an hour including the climb and a proper look around the top. Go on a weekday morning in autumn or spring if you want it quieter - weekends pull families in hard. Winter's bleak but clear, summer's busy and the ground gets churned up. It's not life-changing, but it's a solid twenty-minute detour if you're spending a day in the park anyway.