Great Shelford Library

Great Shelford Library isn't going to be on anyone's must-do list for a holiday in Cambridgeshire, but it's a proper little spot if you're based at one of the nearby campsites and need to get out of the rain for an hour. It's a functioning village library just east of Cambridge - the kind of place where locals actually spend time, not a tourist attraction masquerading as one.

What you get is a compact community library with books, computers, and a quiet reading room. If you're travelling with kids who need to burn off screen time without the chaos of a museum, it's fine. Adults after a peaceful hour will find it genuinely relaxing. The opening hours are a bit scattered - mornings and some afternoons, with Monday only opening from 3pm - so check before you head over from Cambridge Camping or the other caravan sites nearby.

Honestly? This works best as a rainy-day backup if you're staying at Highfield Farm Touring Park or Shepreth Mill for a week and want variety. Don't make a special trip. The village itself has a pub and church worth a wander, and you're only a couple of miles from Cambridge proper, where there's actual substance - the colleges, the Backs, proper museums.

Free to use, no admission charge. Allow 45 minutes to an hour maximum. Go on a Tuesday or Friday morning when it's open longest and likely less chaotic.