Quarry

An old quarry outside Bath sounds about as thrilling as a spreadsheet, until you actually stand at the edge and realise you're staring into what looks like a proper geological textbook carved into the landscape. The sheer faces of stone - layers upon layer of it - tell the story of centuries of extraction. Walkers tend to love this spot because there's something genuinely compelling about seeing how the land was shaped by human effort.

The quarry itself is free to visit, which is the main selling point if you're being honest. You won't need more than an hour here unless you're really into rocks and geology, in which case you could potter about photographing the different strata for a good while longer. It's the kind of place that works brilliantly as a half-hour detour on a longer walk around Bath rather than a destination in itself.

Families with older kids might find it interesting - teenagers doing geography often take field trips to spots like this. Younger ones will get bored quickly once they've peered over the edge and picked up a few stones. The surrounding countryside around Bath is genuinely lovely though, so combine it with a proper walk if you're staying at somewhere like Bath Mill Lodge Retreat nearby.

Come during decent weather. A grey drizzly afternoon and it's just a hole in the ground. But on a clear day when you can see the geological structure properly? That's when it clicks.