H2O Rampage Aqua Park

Water slides, lazy rivers, and enough chlorine to strip paint off a boat - that's H2O Rampage Aqua Park, lurking just outside Hertford in Hertfordshire. It's the sort of place that makes sense on a sticky summer's day when the kids are climbing the walls and you've exhausted every other option within twenty miles.

The park runs the full gamut of aquatic entertainment. There are proper white-knuckle slides for the adrenaline junkies, calmer pools for younger children, and a lazy river if you can't be bothered with actual exertion. The whole setup is fairly compact - you won't need a map - and it moves at the pace families actually travel at, which is to say: slowly, with regular snack breaks.

It works brilliantly as a half-day break if you're based at one of the nearby caravan sites. Hertford Camping and Caravanning Club Site sits just 2.7 miles away, making it a proper no-fuss addition to a park holiday. Lee Valley Caravan Park Dobbs Weir is 5.7 miles north if you want something slightly further afield.

Check their website for current opening hours and admission prices before you go - these things change with the seasons. Summer weekends get rammed, so arrive early or pick a weekday if possible. A few hours here satisfies the water park craving without eating an entire day, which frankly is the point. Kids under about eight will have the time of their lives. Teenagers might find it a touch tame by their standards.