Puttstars

You'll find Puttstars just outside York, and it's the sort of place that sounds throwaway until you actually turn up with a putter in hand. It's miniature golf done properly - the kind of venue where even adults stop treating it like a novelty and actually get competitive over the course.

The courses here are well-maintained, with decent variety in difficulty, so you're not just whacking a ball through a giant clown's mouth twenty times over. There's genuine thought in the design, which keeps things interesting across nine or eighteen holes depending on what you fancy. It's the kind of activity that fills a solid hour without feeling rushed, or you can stretch it longer if you're properly into it.

Families with children who've graduated beyond the soft play phase tend to get the most from it - old enough to actually concentrate, young enough to still find it fun rather than just embarrassing. Parents won't be bored watching from the sidelines either, which matters. Solo players and couples will find it equally fine for a casual outing.

If you're staying at Wagtail Park just down the road - barely a mile away - or any of the other caravan sites scattered around York, Puttstars makes for an easy afternoon break from the usual park routine. It won't take up your whole day, but it's exactly the sort of low-key entertainment that punctuates a week away nicely. No need to plan around it, just turn up when you fancy something different.