Thirsk Swimming Pool

The leisure centre in Thirsk is a fairly standard indoor pool setup - nothing fancy, but it does the job if you're touring North Yorkshire with kids and need to burn off some energy on a rainy afternoon. There's a main swimming pool, a teaching pool for younger children, and the usual changing facilities you'd expect from a council-run operation.

It's really aimed at families with young swimmers rather than serious lap swimmers. The teaching pool is genuinely useful if you've got toddlers who need shallow water, though don't expect Olympic-standard facilities. Admission is modest enough that it won't break the bank, and you can easily spend an hour or so here without it feeling like a chore.

If you're staying at Woodland Lakes Lodges just down the road - about 2.7 miles away - this makes a sensible wet-weather backup plan. Same goes for Hillside Caravan Park at 4.6 miles. Both parks put you within easy striking distance of the pool without needing to drive into the centre of Thirsk itself.

The real draw of the area is the Yorkshire countryside and market towns rather than the pool, to be honest. It's useful to know it's there, but you won't be planning a trip around it. Ring ahead to check current opening hours and whether you need to book in advance - these things have been known to change.