Victoria Clock Tower

The clock tower stands at the heart of Ripon's market square, a solid Victorian structure that's been keeping time over the town for well over a century. It's not enormous - you won't spend hours here - but it's the kind of proper landmark that anchors a place, especially when the bells chime on the hour. The tower itself is Grade II listed, which tells you something about its architectural value, though what you're really looking at is a piece of Ripon's 19th-century confidence.

This is ideal if you're wandering round town anyway, or if you've got kids who like to spot clock faces from different angles. It photographs well from the square, and the surrounding area - with its independent shops and cafes - makes it worth pausing for rather than just passing through. On market day the whole square comes alive, and the tower becomes a natural meeting point.

Though there's no official visitor facility here, Ripon itself is compact enough to explore on foot. If you're based at Riverside Meadows Caravan Park, just under a mile away, you can easily pop into town for a look without making a special trip. The tower works best as part of a broader wander through Ripon's Georgian and Victorian core, rather than as a destination in itself. Worth ten minutes of your time if the square's busy, less so if you're after something that'll fill an afternoon. The real draw here is how it sits within Ripon's larger story.