Coles Park Stadium

Coles Park Stadium sits just outside London in Hertfordshire, home to Waltham Forest's football club and various local sporting events. It's the sort of ground you'd visit if you're catching a match or if your kid's got a game on - nothing glamorous, but solid and functional in that very English way.

This is proper grassroots football territory. The stadium hosts league matches and community sports fixtures throughout the year. On matchdays, there's genuine atmosphere if you're here supporting the local team, though it won't compare to watching the big boys in the capital. The facilities are straightforward - you're not getting a five-star day out, but that's rather the point.

If you're camping at one of the nearby parks - Lee Valley Camping and Caravan Park or Theobalds Park are both within striking distance - and you've got football-mad kids, checking out a local match is a decent way to fill an afternoon. It gives you a real flavour of how sport operates outside the Premier League bubble. Families will get more from this if there's an actual game on. Turning up on a quiet Tuesday isn't going to excite anyone.

Admission details aren't immediately clear, so ring ahead before you make the trip. Allow an hour or so for a match, less if you're just having a look around. It's the sort of place worth visiting as part of something else - a weekend camping trip, say - rather than as a destination in itself.