12-metre Activity Pool

The 12-metre activity pool near Newark is a proper lifesaver if you're holidaying at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest or any of the nearby parks and the weather turns. It's small - don't expect Olympic-sized lengths - but that's rather the point. This is a shallow teaching and leisure pool designed for younger kids and nervous swimmers, with water that stays warm and staff who actually seem to know what they're doing.

You'll spend maybe an hour here comfortably, unless your children are the type who'd stay in water until their fingers prune off. The shallow end makes it ideal for toddlers just getting their confidence, and there's usually enough space that you won't be fighting through crowds of school groups. It's the sort of place you pop into on a drizzly Tuesday morning, not your main event.

If you're based at Center Parcs - which sits just 0.1 miles away - you might wonder why you'd bother when your accommodation likely has its own facilities. Fair question. But if you're at Sherwood Castle Holiday Forest, Sherwood Forest Holiday Park, or The Sherwood Hideaway further afield, this becomes genuinely useful. Admission details and opening hours aren't immediately obvious online, so ring ahead before making the journey. It's convenient rather than thrilling, but sometimes that's exactly what a park holiday needs.