Everyone who has holidayed in the UK knows that the weather is unlikely to play ball for the entirety of your vacation, with high winds rocking the caravan, water threatening to overrun your tent or the cute hillside cottage you rented getting snowed in for days at a time.
For such eventualities, it is important to stock up on the bare essentials, such as tea, coffee, chocolate and a good selection of games to pass the time away.
Below you will find a wide selection of games, all of which will while away the hours you have to endure when the rain sets in and howling gales force you to batten down the hatches and accept that going outside is a lost cause.
Poker
There are so many classic card games that people turn to when they need some entertainment in their lives, and poker is certainly one of these, although some players can occasionally be put off by the amount of rules and hand rankings that have to be remembered.
The best way to get started is simply to begin playing, meaning you can learn through trial and error. First things first, though, you will need some props, such as a pack of cards, some poker chips and something to symbolise the dealer button.
Before you know it, after playing a few rounds and daring to make the odd audacious bluff, you and yours will be rocking a poker home game for the ages.
Backgammon
This is the perfect game for couples, as it is strictly a two-player affair. At first this game of Arabic origin appears easy but look a little closer and you will see it is cunningly laced with tactical nuances that can be the difference between victory or defeat.
You can either play live or online, although it must be said that there are some beautifully tactile backgammon sets out there that will not cost an arm and a leg, so perhaps invest in one of those once you have a taste for the game.
Parchis
This is a four-player game and is particularly exciting because victory can so easily be snatched from the jaws of defeat – if you get lucky with your dice rolling that is.
Chase your opponents round the board and gobble them up in order to propel your own pieces to safety. Trust us, this is a game that can easily swallow an entire afternoon.
Mikado
Think of a game of Jenga but change the bricks into sticks and you go some way to knowing what a game of Mikado looks like.
A steady hand is vital in this game, so it is not one to be played with someone who has a case of the shakes.
Virus!
If traditional card games and the likes of Uno are boring you, then perhaps it is time to give Virus! a go.
The aim of the game is to immunize your organs from disease, but that is easier said than done when everyone around you is doing their best to infect you or even steal your organs.
It sounds gruesome, but just remember it is a card game and you will be just fine.
Chess
A more grown-up way to pass your time couped up inside is with a brain teasing game of chess.
Thanks to many mobile versions of the game being available these days you do not even have to have a chess set present in order to play, meaning you can easily keep track of how many times you have had the pleasure of announcing “check mate!” to your friends and family.
