Kernow Slide LTD

Water slides in Cornwall sound brilliant until you realise you're queuing in the rain. Kernow Slide near Bodmin is a proper water park - the sort of place where you spend half your time shivering on the decking and half your time actually in the water, which at least stays warm.

It's straightforward stuff: multiple slides of varying terror levels, a lazy river if you can call it that, and pools for different ages. Families with younger kids will get a solid afternoon out of it, though teenagers might find it a touch small-scale compared to the big leisure centres inland. Allow three to four hours if you're doing the full circuit.

The thing about water parks is they're all the same, really - you're paying for the novelty rather than anything particularly distinctive. Still, it beats a rainy beach day, and Bodmin's close enough that you're not eating petrol money getting there.

If you're camped at Camp De Lank or Eden Valley Holiday Park nearby, Kernow Slide makes a decent rainy-day backup. Don't go expecting theme park thrills - this is gentle, family-focused stuff. Worth a few hours if the weather turns, but I wouldn't plan a holiday around it. Check ahead for opening dates and admission prices before you drive over - information's thin on the ground.