Samphire Solar Towerhouse

The tower's squat brick form rises abruptly from the flat Kent marshland near Folkestone, impossible to miss once you know where to look. Built in the 1980s as an experimental solar energy installation, Samphire Solar Towerhouse stands as a genuine oddity - part environmental experiment, part architectural statement, wholly unconventional.

It's not a stately home or ancient ruin. What you're looking at is a working example of how people tried to harness the sun's energy before it became fashionable. The building itself is the attraction: that distinctive tower design, the solar panels integrated into its structure, the whole thing looking rather like a modernist folly plonked in the middle of nowhere.

Folkestone-based visitors often cycle or walk out to see it as part of a longer marsh walk, which makes far more sense than driving there expecting a visitor centre or tea room. Don't arrive expecting handed-out leaflets or guided tours - this is more about standing outside and appreciating the sheer strangeness of it. History enthusiasts and architecture buffs will get the appeal straightaway. Casual tourists might find it underwhelming unless you're already enjoying the Romney Marsh landscape.

If you're staying at Black Horse Farm Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite five miles away, it's worth combining with a proper walk across the marshes rather than treating it as a standalone stop. Allow an hour or two maximum, ideally as part of a wider exploration of the area. The real reward here is the sense of discovery and the quiet Kent countryside surrounding it.