Big Ben

The Elizabeth Tower - that's the proper name, though everyone still calls it Big Ben - dominates the north end of the Palace of Westminster like it owns the whole of Westminster. You can't miss it, towering 96 metres over Parliament Square, and frankly, the thing is even more imposing in person than it appears in a thousand postcards.

Honestly? It's worth seeing once, but manage your expectations. You'll stand there with about two hundred other tourists taking the same angle on their phones, and yes, it's genuinely impressive - the Gothic Revival architecture, the clock faces, the sheer weight of it all. The exterior is what counts here. You won't get inside the tower itself unless you're a UK resident and book months ahead through your MP, which rules out most visitors.

Twenty minutes is plenty to absorb it, photograph it, and move on. The real reason to linger is if you're interested in parliamentary history - the Palace of Westminster still functions, and if you time it right, you can actually watch debates from the public galleries (book in advance). That transforms a simple landmark visit into something with actual substance.

If you're staying at Lovat Parks just over a mile away, you're ideally placed for a Westminster walk. Hit Big Ben first thing on a crisp morning when the light's good and crowds are thinner, then move toward Buckingham Palace or down to the South Bank. It's a tick-box moment, but a worthwhile one.