Tidmouth Hault

The railway halt at Tidmouth is one of those wonderfully obscure stops that most motorists zoom past without a second glance. Tucked just outside Atherstone in Warwickshire, it's essentially a working heritage railway station - nothing flash, nothing polished, just the genuine article with proper period architecture and a working platform that still sees the occasional train.

You're looking at a proper bit of Victorian engineering here. The station building itself is the main draw - red brick, characterful, the sort of place where you half expect a porter in a waistcoat to appear with a pocket watch. If you're into railway history or just fancy a gentle walk around somewhere that feels properly old-fashioned, it's worth the detour from Atherstone.

Really, Tidmouth works best as a stop-off rather than a destination in itself. Give yourself twenty minutes to have a poke around, take some photographs if you're that way inclined, and move on. Families with kids obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine might recognise the name - it's the fictional inspiration for the station, though the real thing is considerably less exciting than the telly version.

If you're camping at Nightingales Rustic Camping, it's just a six-mile hop away, making it an easy morning excursion before heading into the wider Warwickshire countryside. Don't expect visitor facilities or a café - just bring your own sense of nostalgia and a decent camera.