The phone book book exchange

Near Horsham in Sussex sits one of England's more peculiar roadside stops - a phone box converted into a tiny lending library. It's the sort of thing you'd drive past without noticing if you weren't looking, which is rather the point. Someone's taken an old red British Telecom box and filled it with paperbacks, creating a micro-library that operates on pure honesty.

You stop, you browse, you take something if it catches your eye and leave something behind if you've got a spare book. There's something rather lovely about the simplicity of it - no scanning, no due dates, just people swapping stories in the middle of the Sussex countryside. It's the work of minutes to have a look, so it functions best as a pit stop rather than a destination in itself.

Families won't find much to occupy them for long, but if you're heading to Knepp Wildland Safaris or Goweco Glamping nearby, it's worth a quick detour. The area around Horsham has genuine appeal for those who like their holidays low-key rather than activity-packed. Honeybridge Park is also close by if you're basing yourself in the region.

Timing-wise, you'll need thirty seconds to two minutes depending on how many titles you want to examine. It's free, obviously. Go when you're passing rather than planning a special trip - that's when these little initiatives shine brightest.