Earl Shilton Library

Earl Shilton Library sits in a modest corner of this Leicestershire market town, about four miles south of Leicester city centre. It's a proper community hub rather than a grand Victorian reading room - the sort of place where locals pop in for the latest crime thriller, use the free Wi-Fi, or help their kids navigate the junior section.

The library holds a reasonable collection of fiction and non-fiction, local history materials about the East Midlands, and computers available for public use. There's a children's area that keeps younger visitors occupied, and it often hosts community events or reading groups, though you'll want to check their notice board or ring ahead for what's on. Free admission, naturally.

It's not a destination attraction. You won't book a caravan holiday at The Paddocks or Mallory Meadows specifically to visit a library. But if you're staying locally with kids during a rainy afternoon, or you need to kill an hour before heading back to Leicester, it does the job. The staff are usually helpful, and it's walkable from the town centre if you fancy stretching your legs.

If you're basing yourselves at Bosworth Caravan Park or Fortway Farm, this makes a reasonable wet-weather option when the outdoor walks aren't calling. Check opening hours before you go - library budgets being what they are, hours can shift.