Splash Park

Water sprays and shrieks from children echo across this open-air playground in Greater London - it's the sort of place that works brilliantly on a hot summer's day and feels a bit pointless when the weather turns. The splash park itself is refreshingly straightforward: jets shoot up from the ground, slides release water, and the whole thing is designed for kids to run around soaked. No queuing, no tickets, just strip down to swimming togs and go.

This appeals most to families with children under ten, though older kids often enjoy it too if they're not yet at the eye-rolling stage. You're looking at ninety minutes to two hours maximum before everyone's either exhausted or cold. Time your visit for late afternoon when the sun's still warm enough to dry you off properly.

It's free to use, which is the main reason locals bother with it at all. Bring a towel, a change of clothes, and maybe a snack - there aren't always facilities nearby. During school holidays it gets rammed, so weekday mornings in term time are genuinely better.

If you're based at Abbey Wood Experience Freedom Glamping, it's only a short drive away, making it an easy tag-on activity rather than a planned destination in its own right. Worth knowing about if you're juggling entertainment for young kids during a park holiday, but don't make it your main event.