Ashford Town (Middlesex) Football Club

Ashford Town Football Club sits just outside Staines, a proper local non-league side that's been around since 1927. If you're staying at one of the caravan parks round Chertsey or Laleham and fancy catching some grassroots football, this is where the town's heart beats on matchdays.

The ground itself is modest - you won't find Premier League polish here, but that's rather the point. The atmosphere on a Saturday afternoon is genuinely friendly, the kind of place where regulars know each other and visiting supporters are treated decently. For families with kids who actually like football rather than just the spectacle, it's a cracking way to spend a couple of hours without breaking the bank. Most non-league matches are affordable and the crowd sizes mean you'll actually see what's happening.

Admission varies by competition - league matches are usually around a fiver for adults, less for kids. Check their fixture list before you book your caravan stay, because games are typically Saturday afternoons in the season (August to May). It's not a day trip destination on its own, mind you. But if you're camped nearby at Laleham or Chertsey Camping Club and someone in the group is football-mad, it beats sitting round the site playing cards.

The non-league pyramid is where genuine football lives - no corporate nonsense, just people who actually care about the game. Worth the detour if the timing works out.