Old John Tower

The tower sits bang in the middle of Bradgate Park, about four miles northwest of Leicester city centre, and it's one of those landmarks that draws your eye from half a mile away. Built in 1784 as a folly on the estate, Old John is basically a stone finger pointing skywards - maybe 65 feet tall, squat and sturdy, with views across rolling parkland that genuinely justify the climb.

You get proper 360-degree vistas from the top. On a clear day you can pick out Charnwood Forest and beyond. The climb itself is tight - narrow spiral stairs, low doorways that'll catch taller visitors - but it takes about two minutes once you're inside. The real draw is the walk to get there across open grassland, especially in autumn when the light turns everything golden.

It's free to explore, and there's no charge for the park either. Allow 45 minutes if you're just doing the tower and immediate area, longer if you're walking the full Bradgate Park circuit. Families with younger kids find it engaging enough - the tower has that romantic, pointless Victorian appeal that children quite like. Walkers use it as a waypoint on longer routes through the park.

Timing matters. Weekday mornings are quieter than weekends. The park gets muddy after rain, so proper footwear counts. If you're based at High Meadows Farm or Meadow Farm Marina nearby, this is a straightforward morning outing before heading into Leicester itself. It's the sort of thing you do in an hour rather than make a day of, but it's worth doing.