Blythe Brewery

Blythe Brewery sits just outside Burton-on-Trent, a town that's basically built on beer. If you're staying at one of the caravan parks round here - Kingfisher is closest at 3.5 miles - you'll find this is a proper working brewery that actually lets people through the doors to see how the beer gets made.

The visit itself is straightforward. You get shown round the brewing process, which ranges from boring if you've no interest in fermentation tanks to genuinely absorbing if you want to understand what goes into a proper pint. The whole thing usually takes an hour or so, though it depends on numbers and how chatty the staff are feeling.

It's not a theme park experience. There's no gift shop the size of a supermarket, no branded merchandise everywhere. What you get is a real look at a functioning brewery - copper vessels, the smell of hops, people actually working. That appeals to real beer enthusiasts and anyone curious about traditional brewing methods. Kids often find it a bit dull unless they're with parents who can make it interesting.

The location is decent for a holiday park break. Burton's got other brewery tours if you want to make an afternoon of it, and the Cannock Chase Camping site is only 4.9 miles away if you fancy staying put for a few days. Check ahead for opening hours and whether you need to book - brewery tours usually work better when they're not mob-handed.