Homemade Guinea Fowl road sign

Down a quiet lane near Honiton, you'll find a genuine oddity: a hand-painted guinea fowl standing sentry over the road like some sort of feathered sentinel. It's exactly what it says - a homemade road sign, created by someone with a sense of humour and a decent amount of spare time. The bird itself is unmissable, a cheery splash of colour against the Devon countryside.

What makes it work is that it's completely unpretentious. No visitor centre, no gift shop, just a genuinely quirky roadside moment that feels like discovering a local's private joke. You'll spend five minutes max actually looking at it, but it's the kind of thing that sticks with you - proof that the best things don't need corporate polish or an Instagram strategy.

It's brilliant for anyone doing the slow-travel thing around East Devon, particularly families who appreciate the absurd. Kids find it funny in that direct way they do; adults usually crack a smile at the sheer audacity of the thing. You could easily combine it with a stay at nearby Hartridge Springs Spa Glamping or Cuckoo Down Farm Glamping, both excellent for a proper countryside reset.

Go whenever - it's outdoors, free, and demands nothing from you except a momentary pause. On a drizzly Tuesday afternoon in October, it was perfect.