The Moondial

There's a rather odd sculpture lurking in the grounds near Grantham that stops you dead in your tracks the moment you spot it. The Moondial is exactly what it sounds like - a dial that tells the time by moonlight instead of the sun. It's the work of sculptor Chris Drury, and it's genuinely clever stuff, though you'll need a clear night to see it properly working.

The thing sits in open parkland, and it's one of those installations that makes you pause and think about what you're looking at. It's not going to occupy hours of your time - realistically, you're looking at twenty minutes unless you're the sort who likes to stand and ponder sculpture for ages. The actual mechanism uses the moon's position and phase to indicate the hours, which sounds mad but absolutely works. On a clear night, the shadows cast on the dial face create a proper lunar timepiece.

This isn't a destination you'd trek across the county for on its own. But if you're staying at Wagtail Country Park nearby - a solid four-star spot just two and a half miles away - it makes for an interesting evening wander. Take a torch, leave the kids at the caravan with a film, and go have a look at what passes for experimental art in Lincolnshire. On a cloudy night, mind, you're just staring at a sculpture and wondering what all the fuss is about. Timing is everything with this one.