The Sound Tower

The Sound Tower stands just outside Skegness as a proper curiosity - a Victorian-era structure built to test acoustic properties back when such things fascinated engineers. It's not enormous, which might surprise you if you've read it up beforehand, but that's rather the point. What you're looking at is genuine engineering history from a time when coastal towns were laboratories for all manner of experiments.

The tower itself is best appreciated from the outside. You won't spend hours here - twenty minutes to half an hour covers it, including a walk around the base and a proper look at the brickwork and construction. History buffs will find it genuinely interesting, particularly anyone curious about Victorian innovation or industrial heritage. Families with younger kids might find it a bit underwhelming on its own, though if you're camping nearby at one of the sites around Anderby or Sutton-on-Sea, it makes for an easy afternoon stop without the faff of a full day trip.

The real draw is context. Slot it into a broader coastal walk - the stretch between Skegness and the surrounding caravan parks offers decent rambling terrain, and the tower breaks up what could otherwise be unremarkable flatness. It's free to view from outside, which is the only way to see it. Winter's actually decent for visiting, quieter and the light's often better for photography.

Worth a detour? Only if you're already in the area. Don't plan a trip solely around it.