Deanshanger Playing Fields Sports Club

If you're camping near Milton Keynes and fancy getting a proper game of football or cricket on, Deanshanger Playing Fields Sports Club is the sort of place you'd ring up beforehand to check what's on. It's a working sports facility rather than a visitor attraction in the traditional sense - the kind of club where locals turn out for league matches on Saturday afternoons and kids' teams train midweek.

The site has playing fields for multiple sports, so depending on the season and what's scheduled, you might catch cricket in summer or football year-round. It's genuinely useful if you're staying at one of the nearby campsites - Cosgrove Park is barely three miles away, and Silverstone Woodlands not much further - and you've got teenagers who'd go quietly mad without kicking a ball about.

I'd be honest though: this isn't somewhere you visit as a day out. It's functional rather than atmospheric. What matters is whether there's a match on that day and whether you can get involved or just watch. The club's exact opening hours and whether they take casual visitors aren't clearly publicised, so a phone call ahead is essential before you make the trip.

For families wanting sport as part of a wider camping holiday in the area, it's a reasonable option. But it's not a destination in itself. You're better off combining it with exploring the wider Northamptonshire countryside or heading towards Silverstone if you're after something with more obvious appeal.