Stonebridge Road Stadium

The stadium sits on the edge of Tilbury, a proper working-class football ground that feels a world away from the shiny Premier League affairs. Stonebridge Road is home to Tilbury FC, and if you're after an afternoon of grassroots football without the corporate faffing about, this is where you'll find it. The stands are modest, the crowd intimate enough that you'll actually hear what the manager's bellowing from the touchline. On match days, there's a genuine sense of community - locals who've been coming for decades mixed with families introducing kids to live football for the first time.

It's not a museum piece or a tourist trap, which is rather the appeal. You come here to watch football as it's meant to be watched: unpretentious, close to the action, with none of the nonsense. Parking's straightforward, and the ground's accessible if you're coming from Thamesview Camping just a few miles away - perfect if you want to break up a camping holiday with an afternoon of sport.

Really, this works best if you genuinely like football or have kids keen on seeing a live match without the eye-watering ticket prices of bigger clubs. On a non-match day, there's little to do beyond walking the perimeter. Check the fixture list before you visit - a Saturday afternoon kick-off is when Stonebridge Road comes alive. Allow a couple of hours including pre-match atmosphere and a pint at the bar.