Glen Gorse Golf Club

Glen Gorse is a proper golf course just outside Leicester, and if you're bringing your clubs on a park holiday in the area, this is where you'll want to spend a morning. It's an 18-hole course that plays to around 6,400 yards - nothing fancy or overly brutal, just a solid day out on the fairways. The layout's relatively straightforward, which means you can focus on your game rather than wrestling with bizarre doglegs or island greens. You'll need to be a member or arrange a guest round through someone who is, so it's not a drop-in kind of place. Fair bit of notice required if you're planning this mid-holiday.

The course itself is well-maintained and sits in countryside that feels properly removed from Leicester's sprawl, even though you're only a few miles out. Walking it takes a full four hours or so - nothing too arduous, but you'll want decent shoes and ideally a reasonable level of fitness. Golfers will get the most from this; non-golfing partners might find themselves twiddling thumbs in the clubhouse. If you're staying at Fox's Furrow, Valley View Escapes, or any of the other holiday parks within a five-mile radius, Glen Gorse makes for a natural diversion on a good-weather day.

Worth checking their website for green fees and booking requirements before you arrive. It's the kind of course that rewards a decent swing but won't punish casual players too harshly.