Pawprint Adventure Park

You'll find Pawprint Adventure Park a few miles outside Swadlincote, a proper hands-on experience if you've got kids in tow. It's an outdoor activity space where the main draw is getting stuck into physical challenges - rope courses, climbing frames, that sort of thing - rather than just wandering round looking at stuff. Think woodland playground meets adventure park, designed so children can actually burn some energy rather than get bored after twenty minutes.

The setting works well for families who don't mind a bit of mud and want something more interactive than a traditional attraction. It's the kind of place where younger kids genuinely have a laugh, climbing and scrambling about in the fresh air. Teenagers might find it a touch basic depending on what they're used to, but primary school age children will get solid hours out of it.

If you're staying at New Forest View Caravan Site or Fire & Stars Woodland Camping just down the road, this makes a decent half-day addition to your itinerary - close enough that you're not burning petrol for the sake of it, but engaging enough that it's worth the detour rather than just relying on the caravan park's own facilities. A morning there, lunch back at base, that sort of thing.

Worth checking opening times and admission prices before you head over, as details aren't readily published online. Definitely ring ahead rather than turning up hoping for the best.