Skegness

The candy floss still blows down the seafront here, just like it did when your grandparents queued for the dodgems. Skegness remains wonderfully, stubbornly traditional - a proper British seaside resort that hasn't tried to reinvent itself as anything posher. The beach stretches for miles, wide and sandy when the tide's out, with donkey rides and deck chairs doing exactly what they've done for decades.

Butlins still dominates one end of town, that familiar red-and-white facade promising organised fun and holiday camp nostalgia. The pier extends into the Wash, offering views across to Norfolk on clear days. Away from the seafront, the town centre feels quiet midweek but comes alive with families during school holidays.

Beyond the slot machines and fish shops, Lincolnshire's countryside opens up into something altogether different. The Wolds rise gently inland, dotted with ancient woodlands like Hampshire Holt and Magpie Holt where you can escape the crowds entirely. Giants Hills, an intriguing Bronze Age burial site, sits just outside town - worth the short drive for anyone interested in prehistoric Lincolnshire.

RAF Spilsby tells a different story of the area's past, while Candlesby Hill Quarry Nature Reserve offers proper walking country through reclaimed industrial landscape. The network of small forests around Great Padmires and Little Padmires provides decent cycling territory too.

Getting here couldn't be simpler - the A52 runs straight from the A1, or take the train from Nottingham. Staying at one of the local holiday parks makes perfect sense. You're close enough to walk into town for fish and chips, but far enough from the seafront chaos to get a decent night's sleep.