Skerryvore, Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Garden

A modest garden tucked away near Poole that honours Robert Louis Stevenson's connection to the Skerryvore lighthouse. The memorial itself is understated - you won't find crowds or queues - but for literature types and anyone drawn to the quirky corners of Victorian history, it's worth the short detour.

Stevenson never actually built the lighthouse (that was his uncle, Alan Stevenson), but his fascination with the engineering feat shaped his imagination and fed into his writing. The garden captures something of that obsession without being heavy-handed about it. It's the kind of place where you linger for twenty minutes, read the plaques properly, and leave with something unexpected tucked away in your head.

The real audience here is walkers and history buffs rather than families after a day's entertainment. Kids won't find it particularly gripping unless they're already keen on Stevenson or lighthouses. Allow half an hour, maybe forty-five minutes if you're the contemplative type.

If you're staying at Meadowbank Holidays or Haven Rockley Park, this sits just close enough to make a pleasant morning excursion before heading somewhere with more obvious pulling power. Pair it with a wander around central Poole itself - the harbour's genuinely lovely - and you've got a solid half-day sorted. Go early to miss any afternoon bustle, though honestly there rarely is any.