Statue of William Harvey

There's a statue of William Harvey standing in Ashford, and it's one of those things you walk past without thinking twice - until you actually stop and consider who he was. Harvey discovered how blood circulates around the body. Revolutionary stuff in the 1600s. Not many places commemorate medical breakthroughs with public sculpture, which makes this oddly compelling.

You won't spend hours here. It's a statue. But if you're the type who likes understanding the people behind the places you visit, it's worth a ten-minute detour while you're in Ashford town centre. History types will appreciate the connection to 17th-century science and medicine. Everyone else will get a decent photo and move on.

Ashford itself is a proper working market town with decent shopping and a few cafes, so you can easily combine this with a wander about. If you're staying at one of the nearby caravan parks - Broadhembury is less than four miles away, Dunn Street Farm even closer - you could build it into a morning exploring the town before heading to Port Lympne Safari Park, which sits about five miles south. That would give you a mixed day without feeling rushed.

Freely accessible, obviously, being a public statue. No admission fees or opening hours to worry about. Just turn up whenever you're in the area.