Armthorpe Leisure Centre

You'll find Armthorpe Leisure Centre just outside Doncaster, serving up the kind of proper community sports facility that actually gets used - no pretension, just solid facilities for getting active. It's the sort of place where locals genuinely spend their time, not somewhere you'd stumble upon by accident while sightseeing, but if you're staying at nearby Mooreacres and the weather turns grim, it's worth knowing about.

The centre runs swimming pools, a gym, and various sports courts - the kind of setup you'd expect in a decent-sized town, really. Families with kids get the most out of the swimming facilities, particularly if you've got younger ones who need to burn off energy. The pools are functional rather than flashy, but they do the job. A couple of hours here takes the edge off a rainy afternoon without draining your holiday budget.

Admission costs vary depending on what you're doing, but casual visits won't set you back much. You're looking at a couple of hours maximum for a proper visit unless you're signing up for actual classes. During school holidays it gets rammed, so timing matters - weekday mornings are your best bet for a quieter experience.

It's not a destination in itself, but for a park holiday based around Mooreacres, it's a useful backup plan when you need an indoor option. Doncaster itself has better attractions if you're after genuine days out, but the leisure centre fills a practical gap on your itinerary.