Tower 12

You'll find Tower 12 standing alone on the Suffolk coast, a brutalist relic from World War II that's impossible to ignore once you know it's there. It's one of several coastal defense structures built to repel a German invasion that never came, and what strikes you first is how exposed it feels - a concrete sentinel watching over flat marshland and distant water.

The tower itself is squat and functional rather than photogenic. It's a Martello tower variant, designed to house gun emplacements and observation posts, and you can walk around the exterior to get a proper sense of its scale and the engineering behind it. The interior access varies depending on restoration work and permissions, so check locally in Woodbridge before making the trip.

History buffs will find this genuinely interesting - it's a tangible piece of 1940s military paranoia, far less polished than some heritage attractions but all the more authentic for it. It won't take you long, maybe 45 minutes if you're thorough, so combine it with a walk along the estuary or a visit to nearby Woodbridge itself. The town has everything from cafes to proper pubs, which makes sense as a base.

If you're camping locally - Savage Glamping, Birds and Bees, or Carlton Meres are all within a few miles - Tower 12 works as a decent half-day diversion rather than a destination in itself. It's the kind of place that matters more if you're interested in what it tells you about Britain's wartime mood than if you're after spectacular views. Worth a detour, but don't build your holiday around it.