Old Police Cells Museum

Tucked away in Brighton, the Old Police Cells Museum occupies what was once the town's working police station - and you can feel the weight of that history the moment you step inside. The cells themselves are the main draw: Victorian iron bars, narrow bunks, the lot. It's genuinely atmospheric without being mawkish about it.

You'll find period furniture, old charge books, and exhibits that walk you through a couple of centuries of local law enforcement. The cramped conditions hit home - these weren't meant to be comfortable, and they weren't. History types will find plenty to chew over, and it's the sort of place that keeps kids properly engaged for an hour or so; younger ones find the cells genuinely spooky in the best way.

It's a straightforward visit - no massive time commitment, free entry last we heard, though best ring ahead to confirm opening times and admission. Brighton being Brighton, it fits nicely into a day pottering around the town centre before heading back to base. Pegs and Pitches is barely over a mile away, making it a genuinely painless detour from your campsite. Even Chalky Downs, nearly three miles out, isn't far if the weather's decent.

Not a destination in itself, but as a rainy-afternoon filler or a proper curiosity for anyone interested in how the other half - or rather, the other side of the law - lived? Well worth thirty minutes of your time.