Whitfield Caravan site

The Whitfield Caravan Museum near Dover is an unexpectedly absorbing collection of vintage caravans and camping memorabilia housed on an actual caravan site. It's the sort of place that shouldn't work on paper - a museum in a working holiday park - but somehow it does.

You're walking through decades of British holiday culture here. The caravans themselves range from battered Airstreams to quirky fibreglass oddities from the 1960s and 70s, each one a snapshot of how we holidayed before Ryanair made foreign breaks routine. There's a real sense of nostalgia without being saccharine about it. If you grew up on caravan holidays, you'll find yourself grinning at the Formica tables and fold-down beds. Families with kids aged eight upwards will get something out of it - younger ones might lose interest after forty minutes.

The site sits just a few miles from Dover, making it a logical stop if you're exploring the Kent coast or visiting nearby parks like Parkdean Resorts St Margaret's Bay Holiday Park. It's free to wander the outdoor exhibits, though opening hours and facilities aren't well publicised, so ring ahead. Allow an hour if you're thorough.

It's not going to blow your mind, but it's worth a detour if you're already in the area and fancy something different from the usual seafront attractions. The museum captures something genuine about British leisure - the entrepreneurial spirit of small-scale holiday parks and the slightly bonkers vehicles that made them work.