Wainfleet Library

If you're camped at Grange Farm or Riverside during a Skegness break, Wainfleet Library is a proper local spot worth popping into on a drizzly afternoon. It's a working library serving the small market town of Wainfleet, about three miles inland from the coast, and it functions as exactly what you'd expect - a community library with books, computers, and a quiet space to escape the holiday park buzz.

The building itself won't win any architectural prizes, but that's not really the point. What makes it worth a visit is the insight into how a real Lincolnshire town ticks. Local history collections sit alongside the usual fiction sections, and there's often enough character in the staff recommendations alone to keep you entertained for twenty minutes. Kids can browse the children's section if they're bored with the arcade for once.

It's free to enter, though borrowing books requires membership. Allow thirty minutes to an hour, depending on whether you're actually planning to settle in with a read or just having a look round. Best visited mid-week when it's quieter.

For a family holiday based at Butlins Skegness or Haven, it's a useful bolt-hole that costs nothing and breaks up the day nicely. Don't expect fireworks, but do expect a genuine slice of small-town life that most tourists miss entirely. The staff are usually helpful about local recommendations too, which can't be said for everywhere.