Firtree Farm Lodges

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, a World Heritage Site and one of Britain's best-known landmarks. The outer ring of huge sarsen stones, topped with lintels, was raised in the third millennium BC. It sits within a landscape dense with burial mounds and other Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments.

Tip: Pre-book your ticket before you travel.

Glastonbury Tor is a conical hill rising from the Somerset Levels, topped by the roofless 15th-century tower of St Michael's Church. Excavations at the summit revealed the plans of two earlier churches on the site.

Tip: There is no parking at the Tor itself, so use the nearest fee-paying car park at Draper and Co on Chilkwell Street and walk, and keep your dog on a lead because sheep graze here.

This museum, now called the Royal Navy Museum, Naval Aviation (formerly the Fleet Air Arm Museum of the NMRN), tells the story of British naval aviation. It sits on the RNAS Yeovilton airfield, about 7 miles north of Yeovil. Its collection takes in military and civilian aircraft, aero engines, models of aircraft and Royal Navy ships, especially aircraft carriers, plus paintings and drawings on the subject.

Tip: Head for the viewing areas if you want to watch military aircraft, especially helicopters, take off and land.

The Cerne Abbas Giant is an ancient figure cut into the chalk hillside above the village of Cerne Abbas. At 180ft tall, it is Britain's largest chalk hill figure and perhaps the best known.

Tip: The viewing area in the car park gives the best view; the A352 lay-by is free but offers only a limited view. Keep dogs on leads, and expect mud on the steep slope after rain.

Stourhead is a National Trust estate on the Wiltshire and Somerset border, with a Palladian mansion and one of the most famous landscape gardens in England. The garden was laid out in the 18th century around a large artificial lake, with classical temples, a grotto, the Palladian Bridge and the Gothic Cottage summerhouse beside the water. Rare and exotic trees add to the setting.

Tip: Parking is by the JustPark app or on-site machines, so download the app before you arrive. National Trust members park free but must register their visit.

Montacute House is a late Elizabethan mansion in South Somerset, completed around 1601 and built of golden local Ham Hill stone. Inside you can explore the ground floor, which is home to the rare Tournai Tapestry, and the Long Gallery is the longest in England and displays portraits as an outpost of the National Portrait Gallery.

Tip: Parking is free, and timed entry tickets are used on busier days, so check before you set off. The Ladies' Walk is a 45-minute climb with lovely views over the village.

Cheddar Gorge is a dramatic limestone gorge in the Mendip Hills, with cliffs up to 137 metres deep. A day ticket covers Gough's Cave, Jacob's Ladder and the Museum of Prehistory. Gough's Cave is where Cheddar Man, Britain's oldest complete human skeleton, was found, and its stalactites and stalagmites were shaped by an underground river.

Tip: Arrive before 11am, especially in school holidays and on bank holidays, to find a parking space easily. Booking day tickets online in advance also saves money.

Longleat is a Grade I listed stately home near Warminster in Wiltshire, and one of the finest examples of Elizabethan architecture in Britain. It was the first stately home to open to the public. The house sits in 1,000 acres of parkland landscaped by Capability Brown.