Brean Splash Waterpark

The waterpark at Brean sits right on the Somerset coast near Burnham-on-Sea, making it one of those rare attractions where you can practically roll out of your caravan and into the splash pools. It's a modest operation by modern standards - a collection of flumes, slides and paddling areas rather than a sprawling theme park - but that's rather the point when you're staying at one of the nearby holiday parks like Dolphin, Beachside or Yellow Sands.

For families with younger children, it fills an afternoon without requiring a drive to somewhere like Blackpool. The slides work well enough, the water's heated, and there's enough going on to keep kids entertained for two or three hours. Teenagers might find it a bit small, and adults without children won't see much reason to visit.

Brean Splash works best as a backup plan - the sort of thing you do when the weather turns grey and you need to get everyone wet anyway. It's convenience rather than destination. The real draw of staying in this area is the beach itself, which stretches for miles. If the waterpark's doing something on the day you visit, fine. If not, you're not missing the holiday.

Timing-wise, aim for a weekday in summer if you want to avoid queues. Weekends get properly rammed with families from the surrounding caravan parks, which rather defeats the purpose of coming somewhere relatively quiet. Check opening times before you go - hours vary seasonally.