The Wave

You'll spot The Wave from the road into Coventry - all gleaming glass and curves beside the Coventry canal basin. It's a proper modern leisure complex, not some tired old municipal pool. Inside you get an indoor water park with a decent wave machine (hence the name), slides, a lazy river that actually moves, and pools for everything from lap swimmers to families with small kids mucking about in the shallow bits.

It's genuinely good for families who want a half-day activity without driving miles. The slides will keep children entertained for a solid two hours, though adults might find the novelty wears off quicker. Teenagers obsessed with water parks may find it a touch modest compared to the massive theme park operations, but it's proper family-friendly and the wave pool does deliver.

Cost and opening times aren't clearly posted online, so check the website or ring ahead - though you can usually find discount codes if you book in advance. Allow three to four hours if you're doing the full experience. It works well as part of a wider Coventry trip rather than a destination in itself.

Stay nearby at Hollyfast Caravan Park - only 3.6 miles out and rated highly - and you've got The Wave as a rainy-day option whilst exploring the city proper. Avon Wild Camping is closer to nature if that's more your speed, though The Wave itself is thoroughly urban and thoroughly modern. Best visited off-peak weekdays if you can manage it.