Margaret Thatcher birthplace

The modest terraced house in Grantham where Margaret Thatcher was born sits on North Parade, a street that wouldn't look out of place in any provincial English town. It's a working family home, not a museum, so you can't go inside - which honestly feels about right. You stand on the pavement and take it in: a perfectly ordinary two-storey Victorian property, the sort of place thousands of politicians grew up in without anyone making a fuss about it.

That's rather the point, isn't it? Thatcher's father ran his grocery shop downstairs, and the family lived above. Her childhood here, in an England between the wars, shaped everything that came after. If you're into 20th century British politics, it's worth a five-minute detour when you're passing through Grantham. You won't spend long - there's nothing to do here but look and maybe take a photo - but there's something slightly stirring about standing outside the birthplace of a woman who reshaped the country, love her or despise her.

Grantham itself is a proper market town with decent high street shops and a fine church if you need stretching your legs. Wagtail Country Park sits just a few miles away and offers a far more relaxing evening than political pilgrimage. If you're already exploring the region for a week, this is a five-minute stop that requires no planning. Go whenever you're in town - there's nothing seasonal about a house.