Cottenham Sports Centre

The sports centre sits just outside Cambridge in Cottenham, a proper working facility rather than a tourist attraction per se. It's the kind of place you'd come if you're staying at one of the nearby campsites - Fen End Farm, Hempsall Farm, or Chittering Park - and the weather's turned, or you fancy a swim or a game of badminton rather than trudging round college courtyards for the hundredth time.

What's actually here depends on the day. There's an indoor pool, sports halls, and various courts. It's functional, clean, and busy with locals doing their thing. Not a destination in itself, but genuinely useful if you're based at Cuckoo Fen Campsite or Roseberry Tourist Park and need to burn off some energy - especially with kids who'd rather jump off a diving board than visit another museum.

You'll want to check their website for current opening hours, admission prices, and what's actually on when you plan to visit. The atmosphere is very much local community venue, which means it closes for school holidays sometimes and hosts swimming galas that bugger up the public sessions. Ring ahead rather than turning up hopeful.

The real draw for campers is convenience. It's close enough to Cambridge for a base, but far enough out that you're not paying London prices for a pitch. The sports centre plugs a gap on grey days - nothing glamorous, just somewhere useful to be.