Thorpe Park Holiday Centre

There’s plenty of see and do in Cleethorpes beyond the beach, pier and prom. Clock towers, pretty gardens and nuclear bunkers feature on the Cleethorpes Heritage Trail, a great way to explore the history of this bustling resort. A short stroll from Thorpe Park Holiday Centre brings you to the Pleasure Island Theme Park, which has a raft of rides for all ages (and levels of courage), plus family shows featuring sea lions and birds. The steam-powered Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway is a fun way to travel along the shoreline; one of the signal boxes has been turned into a teeny tiny pub, and there’s also a Brief Encounters tearoom. In next door Grimsby, visitors can take a tour of a fishing trawler at the National Fishing Heritage Centre, which recreates the glory years of the area’s fishing industry. Elsham Hall Gardens and Country Park makes a good family day out. Aside from the stunning gardens, there are aviaries and an animal farm, an art gallery, and a small museum, and the park also regularly hosts seasonal events and activities such as paintballing. The huge fortified gatehouse of Thornton Abbey is another popular place to visit, and in the summer, the neighbouring Abbots Garden has a huge maize maze and 'pick your own' fruit fields. Further afield, you could tour some of the pretty villages dotted along this uncrowded stretch of beautiful coast, such as Crook Bank, Moggs Eye and Saltfleetby, or hit the stunning city of Lincoln, for a rooftop tour of the awe-inspiring cathedral, a canter around the Norman castle, or a bit of retail therapy. For wildlife, head to the Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve near Skegness, a top spot for birdwatching, or to Donna Point, near Mablethorpe, to see the large colony of grey seals. If you haven’t had your fill of rollercoasters and rides, the Fantasy Island park in Ingoldmells (Skegness) has plenty more, and it’s worth a mention that many of them are indoors, too.