Bush Industries

Bush Industries sits just outside Melton Mowbray as a working reminder of the East Midlands' industrial past. It's one of those places that stops you mid-drive and makes you wonder what actually goes on in there - and the answer is worth finding out if you're interested in how things are made.

This is proper working heritage, not a museum with velvet ropes. Depending on what's happening when you visit, you might see manufacturing in action across their facilities. It's the sort of place that appeals to anyone curious about craft and production - families with kids who've moved beyond theme parks tend to find it engaging, and anyone interested in industrial heritage will get a genuine kick from it.

You'll want to check ahead about opening times and whether they do visits, as it's an active business rather than a public attraction with set hours. Free admission usually applies if access is available, though do ring first. Allow 45 minutes to an hour unless you're the type to get lost chatting to the staff.

If you're staying at Emily's Cut Camping just five miles away, Bush Industries works as a quirky half-morning excursion before heading into Melton Mowbray proper for lunch. It's the kind of detour that breaks up a park holiday nicely - different from the usual tourist circuit, and genuinely memorable if you catch it on a working day.