Paradise Park

There's a proper slice of seaside nostalgia waiting in Newhaven at Paradise Park. It's the kind of place that feels frozen in time - an old-fashioned amusement park with vintage rides, a funfair atmosphere, and enough candy floss to send you into a sugar coma for a week. The rides are charmingly wonky, the arcades ring with the sound of loose change, and there's a real sense that this is how holidays used to work.

The park works brilliantly for families with younger children who aren't ready for Thorpe Park's intensity. You'll spend a couple of hours here easily, wandering between attractions, queuing for the rides that look like they've been spinning since the 1970s, and grabbing lunch from one of the food stalls. It's free to wander in, though you'll pay per ride or grab a wristband if you're planning to go mad.

Timing-wise, hit it on a quieter weekday if you can stomach the school-run crowd. Weekends get rammed with families doing exactly what you're doing. Summer holidays are absolute carnage.

If you're staying at Three Ponds Holiday Park just down the road, Paradise Park makes for an easy afternoon out without needing to drive far. It's not going to blow your mind, but it's got genuine charm and the kind of worn-in character that new attractions can't buy. Kids will have a laugh, and you'll probably spend less than you'd expect to.