Aqua Parcs

Water parks in the Midlands tend to blur together, but Aqua Parcs near Milton Keynes at least has the decency to be straightforward about what it does. You get slides, pools, and the usual splash-about facilities - the sort of place families drag their kids to on a rainy summer afternoon when the garden's lost its appeal.

It's the kind of attraction that works best with under-tens. Teenagers will get bored after an hour; adults without children have absolutely no reason to be here. The slides are fine if you like that sort of thing, and the pools are warm enough for littluns who'd otherwise spend ten minutes chattering and call it a day.

Being just a short drive from Milton Keynes itself means it slots neatly into a broader itinerary - somewhere to tire out the kids while you're based at Adventurer's Village or Gullivers Campsite rather than a destination in its own right. If you're after a full day's entertainment, pair it with other attractions nearby. If it's just an hour or two of water-based chaos you're after, it'll do the job.

Check opening hours and admission fees before you go - information's not readily available online, so a quick phone call saves a wasted journey. Fair weather activity, obviously, though indoor pools help when it's drizzling.