Lilleshall Hall National Sports Centre

The moment you drive up to Lilleshall Hall, you're confronted with one of those grand Victorian estates that makes you understand why the Victorians thought they owned the world. All red brick and imposing windows, set in proper parkland with enough space around it to feel genuinely important. It's now a national sports centre, which means you'll see athletes training if you time it right, but the real draw for most visitors is simply wandering the grounds and getting a sense of the place.

This is brilliant for families who've got kids keen on sport - watching Olympic-level gymnasts or badminton players train is genuinely inspiring rather than sitting them down in front of a screen. But honestly, if your children aren't particularly sporty, they might find it bit of a flat experience after half an hour. The hall itself isn't generally open for tours, so you're really looking at the external architecture and the grounds.

Ted's Farm Caravan and Camping Site is just down the road - less than two miles - which makes this easy to fit into a caravan holiday around Shropshire. The main appeal here is having a proper stately home within spitting distance of your pitch. You could combine it with a walk around the grounds and a quick pint in Shifnal, which is only a stone's throw away and has decent enough pubs if you're not after anything fancy.

Best visited on a weekday morning when the grounds are quieter and you might actually spot some training sessions happening. Go for the architecture and the grounds, not expecting a full day's activity.