Bloody Bones

The name alone will get your kids' attention - and frankly, it's half the appeal. Bloody Bones is a modest cave system near Chester that trades entirely on its Gothic reputation and the local legend of a cannibal hermit who supposedly lived here centuries ago. Reality check: it's small, dark, and genuinely a bit atmospheric if you're easily spooked.

You'll find yourself crouching through tight passages and navigating uneven ground with torches - bring a proper one, not your phone light. The cave itself doesn't take long to explore, maybe twenty minutes if you're being careful. It's free and always accessible, which means no queuing about opening hours. Families with older children (say, secondary school age) will find it entertaining, though younger kids might struggle with the claustrophobia or lose interest quickly. Anyone with mobility issues should skip it entirely.

What makes it worthwhile is the walk to get there and the surrounding countryside. You're a few miles from Chester itself, but the real draw for a park-based holiday is how it breaks up a morning or afternoon. Pitch & Canvas is only about two miles away, so it's genuinely convenient for campers staying in the area. The legend is overblown - there's no actual evidence of anything grim happening here - but the cave's genuine tightness and darkness give you just enough of a frisson to make it feel like an adventure rather than a tourist tick-box. Worth an hour's detour if you're in the region, but don't reorganise your entire trip around it.