Unusually for a campsite, this one is run by a local council and actually sits within the grounds of the town's park. So while you may not get that away-from-it-all feeling offered by rural campsites, you do have an outdoor heated swimming pool, children's playground, bowling green, cricket field, pitch and putt, tennis courts, cafe, cycle hire, and even a croquet lawn on your tent-step. All without the holiday park atmosphere these facilities would usually generate, as this is a quiet, low-key place.

The campsite has been here for decades - one caravanner has been returning for more than 30 years now - so the landscaping is established and mature, with a line of weeping willows lounging across the centre and tall hedges offering privacy and shelter from the very minor adjacent road. And while the lido is the big pull for many campers here, Woodhall Spa is a pretty and interesting town that deserves exploration. Full of independent shops and cafes, and with an old-fashioned cinema and tea house just across the road from the site, it also has an interesting history as an Edwardian spa town and base for the RAF 617 (Dambuster) Squadron.



COOL FACTOR Holiday park facilities minus the mayhem.

WHO'S IN? Tents, campervans, caravans, dogs, groups - yes.

ON SITE Total of 98 pitches (with and without hook-ups) spread across 5 flat camping areas, 1 for long-term caravans. The toilet/shower (2W, 2M) block is a bit on the municipal side, but it is adequate and regularly cleaned. No campfires.

OFF SITE The pool is open end May-early September pretty much all day, every day. A nostalgic visit to the Kinema in the Woods (01526 352166) includes organ music and an intermission to buy sweets and ice creams.

FOOD AND DRINK A mile or so down the road is the small pub and restaurant at Village Limits (01526 353312; www.villagelimits.co.uk) - regular winner of local food awards. Head to Just Desserts in town for ice cream treats, and the Bakery & Delicatessen for upmarket picnic fare.

GETTING THERE From the A1, take the A153 to Tattershall and then follow the B1192 to Woodhall Spa. There are signs to Jubilee Park as you enter the town.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT National Express coaches stop at Woodhall Spa en route between London and Grimsby. Local buses from Boston, Spalding, Horncastle, and Lincoln call here.

OPEN April-October.

THE DAMAGE A tent plus 2 people £8.50-£15 per night.