Esgaroth

The view from Esgaroth stops you dead. On a clear day - and you'll want to time your visit for one - you can see right across the Somerset Levels towards the Bristol Channel. It's a proper vantage point, the kind of place where the landscape actually makes sense once you're standing there looking out at it.

It's a viewpoint, pure and simple. No facilities, no visitor centre, no gift shop. You arrive, you look, you take your photos if you're that way inclined, and then you move on. Most people spend 20 minutes here, maybe 30 if they've brought a picnic and want to sit for a bit. It's excellent for walkers tackling routes across the Mendips or anyone driving between Bristol and the deeper Somerset countryside who wants to break the journey with something worthwhile. Photographers will find it rewarding, especially in the golden hour either side of sunset.

The location - less than two miles from Somerset Glamping and within easy reach of The Batch Campsite and Mendip Basecamp - makes this a natural stop if you're basing yourself at one of the local holiday parks. It's close enough to visit on a whim, far enough removed from the usual tourist trail that you won't be fighting crowds. Bring a windbreaker; the elevation catches the breeze. Free to visit, obviously, and open whenever daylight permits. The main thing is getting the weather right - rain or low cloud and you've wasted the trip.