City Centre, Coventry

Coventry's city centre is a proper mixed bag - part medieval charm, part bold 1960s rebuild, with enough character to warrant a proper wander if you're based at one of the nearby parks. The Cathedral stands as the obvious focal point, a striking modern structure that replaced the one destroyed in the Blitz. It's free to walk around, and the contrast between the sleek interior and the bombed-out ruins of the old cathedral next door tells Coventry's whole story in one visit.

Beyond the religious monuments, the pedestrianised shopping streets are decent enough for a morning's browse without being remarkable. What makes it worth the trip from Hollyfast Caravan Park or Avon Wild Camping is the city's willingness to talk about its past - the plaques, the skyline scars, the sense that this place has genuinely rebuilt itself rather than just moved on. The Museum of the Home gives you a feel for how ordinary people lived through it all, and it's free entry.

The walk from the train station into the heart of things takes about fifteen minutes, longer if you're not bothered with purpose. Families with primary school kids will get a couple of hours out of it; teenagers often find it a bit slow. History buffs will spend longer picking over the details. Come on a weekday morning if you want to avoid the Saturday crowds and actually hear yourself think. It's not a day-long destination on its own, but as part of a Warwickshire park holiday it slots in nicely alongside Stratford or Warwick.