Westwood Manor, National Trust

The first thing that strikes you about Westwood Manor is how genuinely lived-in it feels. This isn't some velvet-roped museum piece - it's a real house that happens to be owned by the National Trust, and you can sense the difference the moment you walk through the door. Built in the 15th century and tweaked continuously over the following 300 years, it's a proper jumble of periods and styles, with mullioned windows, stone fireplaces, and the kind of creaky wooden floors that actually tell you something about how people moved through these rooms.

You'll spend a couple of hours here maximum, wandering the modest rooms and studying the furniture and tapestries. The grounds are pleasant enough - gardens, a small orchard - but this is really about the interior and the architectural story. History types and National Trust members will get more from it than families with young kids, who'll likely find it a bit slow. The house opens Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoons only (14:00-17:00), so you need to plan ahead.

It's handily close to Trowbridge, which gives you proper access to camping at Stowford Manor Farm just outside town - less than a mile away - and several other caravan sites within a few minutes' drive. If you're basing yourself at one of the holiday parks in the area, Westwood Manor pairs well with a morning walk and makes for a quiet afternoon activity that won't drain your energy or your wallet.