Canoe Safari

Paddling out across Lancashire's waterways beats sitting in a caravan park watching the drizzle. Canoe Safari, based near Tarlscough, lets you actually do something with your arms instead of just clutching a cup of tea. You're on the water in a canoe - proper job - exploring the kind of flat, reedy terrain that makes this corner of the North West oddly meditative once you stop worrying about capsizing.

It's the sort of activity that works brilliantly if you've got teenagers who've sworn off traditional seaside holidays, or if you're simply keen on messing about on water without the faff of owning a boat. The landscape here won't win beauty contests - this is Lancashire, not the Lake District - but there's something pleasingly unglamorous about paddling past farmland and into the quiet bits. Depending on what you book, you're looking at anything from a couple of hours to a full day on the water.

If you're based at one of the nearby parks - Leisure Lakes, Four Seasons Glamping, or Riverside - it's close enough for a morning activity without turning it into an expedition. Check directly with them about pricing and whether you need experience or if complete beginners are welcome. Water levels and seasonal conditions matter here, so ringing ahead beats turning up to find the whole thing closed because it's been too dry or too wet.

Worth squeezing in between other Lancashire stops, especially if your crew needs breaking free from the caravan for a bit. Just don't expect dramatic vistas.