Solar System Model: Uranus

Head out of Sevenoaks and you'll stumble across one of the oddest public artworks in Kent - a full-scale model of Uranus planted in a field near Otford. It's genuinely surreal: a massive sphere representing the ice giant, complete with its tilted axis that makes it look like it's been knocked sideways.

The Solar System Model exists as part of a larger installation mapping out the entire solar system across the local area. Uranus is the gallery piece, essentially - a sculptural work that makes you actually think about scale and space in a way planetariums don't quite manage. The model itself is free to view, and there's something rather brilliant about how matter-of-fact it all is. No interpretive centre, no visitor complex. Just a planet, basically.

You'll get the most from this if you're into public art, astronomy, or you want something genuinely different from the usual Kent attractions. Kids interested in space will find it memorable, though they might lose interest after fifteen minutes - it's more conceptual than interactive. Adults tend to spend longer pondering the thing.

If you're staying at Thriftwood Country Park nearby, it's easily worth a quick detour. Allow thirty minutes maximum. The walk to reach it is straightforward enough from Otford village. Go on a clear day if you can - the sight of it against a blue sky works better than under grey clouds.