The Graham Sports Centre

The Graham Sports Centre sits on the outskirts of Durham and serves as the city's main hub for indoor athletics, swimming, and general fitness. It's a proper working leisure facility rather than a tourist attraction in the traditional sense, but if you're staying at one of the nearby caravan parks - Durham Grange is only 2.3 miles away - and the weather turns, it's worth knowing it's there.

Inside you'll find a 50-metre swimming pool, a smaller teaching pool, and gym facilities alongside various sports halls used for badminton, basketball, and other indoor sports. The real draw for families with kids is the swimming pools. School holidays see it busy, so mornings tend to be calmer if you can manage it.

It's free to look around, though you'll pay to use the facilities - exact prices aren't published online, so ring ahead before you visit. Allow a couple of hours if you're planning a swim and a mooch around the gym area. Toddlers will tire themselves out in the shallow pool; older kids might prefer the main pool if they're confident swimmers.

If you're based at Strawberry Hill Farm (3.7 miles) or Finchale Abbey (3.6 miles) for a quiet caravan holiday, this breaks up rainy afternoons without requiring a major expedition into Durham city centre itself. It's functional rather than special, but that's exactly the point - sometimes you just need somewhere dry and warm with a decent pool.