Summer House

The Summer House sits quietly on the outskirts of Hexham, a modest stone structure that whispers rather than shouts about its past. It's an 18th-century folly, the sort of building that landed gentry threw up when they had money, land, and not much else to do with either. What you're looking at is essentially a very fancy shed with pretensions - a retreat where someone's great-great-grandfather probably sat with a book and a glass of something expensive, watching the Northumberland countryside roll past.

It's the sort of place that appeals most to history obsessives and anyone interested in how the wealthy entertained themselves when there was no television. You won't spend hours here - twenty minutes is realistic unless you're the type who reads every placard twice. The real value is as a gentle detour if you're already exploring the area around Hexham, perhaps combining it with a walk along nearby paths or a visit to the town itself.

For families with young children, it'll feel a bit thin. The building's small, the grounds modest, and there's limited interactive anything. But if you're based at one of the nearby glamping sites - Langley Dam is only 2.3 miles away - and you're the sort who enjoys pottering around local heritage spots without needing everything spelled out and packaged, it's worth a look.

Admission details and opening hours aren't straightforward to pin down online, so ring ahead before making the trip. It's the sort of place that can be temperamental about visiting.