Downton Leisure Centre

Downton Leisure Centre sits just outside Salisbury, offering the kind of sports facilities you'd expect from a proper community venue rather than anything fancy. It's a straightforward place - indoor swimming pool, gym equipment, sports halls for badminton and the like. The sort of spot where locals actually go to do their thing rather than tourists turning up with cameras.

Families with kids will find the pool useful on wet afternoons, and if anyone in your group wants to maintain fitness while on holiday, the gym and courts are there. It's not a destination in itself, though - you're not driving an hour out of your way for this one. It works best if you're staying nearby at Summerlands Caravan Park or one of the other sites dotted around the Salisbury area, and the weather turns out dreich.

I'd suggest ringing ahead to check current opening hours and what the admission fees are - these things change, and you don't want to roll up expecting something that's either shut or costs more than you'd budgeted. Allow an hour or two depending on what you want to do. In summer, when the weather's decent, you're probably better off exploring the actual countryside around Downton and Salisbury itself - the Test Valley walks are cracking. But for a rainy Tuesday morning when everyone needs a break from the caravan, this does the job fine.