Collingham Library

The library sits in the village of Collingham, just outside Newark, and it's the sort of place you'd walk past if you weren't paying attention. But if you're stopping by with kids during a caravan holiday at Wigwam Holidays Orchard Stables or Milestone Caravan Park nearby, it's worth a quick visit on a rainy afternoon.

It's a proper community library - nothing flashy, just books and a quiet space to browse. The kind of place where locals actually go to read rather than perform for Instagram. You'll find the usual mix of fiction, non-fiction, children's sections, and likely some local history bits that might surprise you. For families staying at Four Seasons Country Park or the other sites in the area, it's useful if you need a replacement paperback or want somewhere warm and dry that costs nothing.

Don't expect to spend hours here unless you're genuinely hunting for something specific. Thirty minutes is probably the sweet spot - enough to have a look around without the place feeling like a chore. Opening hours and admission details aren't widely advertised online, so ring ahead or check when you arrive in Newark.

If you're doing a proper tour of Nottinghamshire's parks and villages, Collingham Library is more of a functional stop than a destination. But that's not necessarily bad - sometimes the best moments on a holiday are the unplanned ones where you stumble into somewhere real and unremarkable.