William Webb Ellis Statue

The statue itself is a modest bronze figure standing in Rugby town centre - nothing grand, but it marks something genuinely important to British sport. William Webb Ellis, the schoolboy who allegedly picked up a football and ran with it during a match in 1823, has his moment immortalised here. Whether the story is actually true remains hotly debated among rugby historians, but the town has chosen to claim him anyway, and you can't blame them for capitalising on a good tale.

It's the sort of thing you'll appreciate properly if you're already a rugby fan or you've got an interest in how sports evolve from accident and rule-breaking. Kids will probably find it underwhelming unless they're particularly keen on the oval ball game - it's a statue, after all, not an experience. Twenty minutes maximum, including the walk from wherever you've parked.

Rugby itself is close enough to several decent caravan parks - Meadow Field Luxury Glamping and Caravanning and Camping at Manor Farm are both within a few miles, and if you're after something more substantial, Caravan Park at Stanford Hall (5.5 miles away) offers better facilities. The town has a serviceable rugby museum if you want to go deeper into the sport's origins, though the statue is really just a quick photo stop rather than a destination in itself.

If you're camping in the area, pop by. If you're not, don't reroute your holiday specially for it.