Codsall Leisure Centre

The leisure centre in Codsall sits a few miles north of Brewood and serves the local community rather than tourists, though it's worth knowing about if you're staying at Oakland Holiday Park nearby. Inside you'll find a swimming pool, a gym, and a handful of activity studios - the sort of place where locals do their laps and take spin classes on a Tuesday morning.

If you're staying at Oakland for a week or more with kids, a wet afternoon here beats another round of board games in the caravan. The pool's decent enough for a proper swim, and there's shallow water for younger ones. It's functional rather than fancy - no wave machine or slides - but that's precisely why families in caravans don't queue for hours.

The real question is whether you'll want to spend your holiday indoors. Most people don't drive to Staffordshire to stare at pool tiles. That said, if weather turns grim or someone's desperate for a swim without the drive to a destination pool, it's there. Ring ahead or check their website for admission fees and session times before you go - leisure centres shuffle their opening hours around school holidays and maintenance work.

Treat it as a back-pocket option rather than a reason to visit the area. The surrounding countryside and walks are what you're really here for.