Kirkby Summit Colliery

The skeletal remains of Kirkby Summit Colliery stand as a stark reminder of Derbyshire's mining heritage. What you're looking at are the concrete structures and pit head gear of a working mine that operated from 1936 until 2004, when it closed along with most of the UK's deep pits. The site itself isn't exactly manicured - it's rough around the edges, which somehow makes it more authentic than a polished museum installation.

This is industrial archaeology at its most unvarnished. You can walk around the perimeter and get a proper sense of the scale of operation, seeing the winding gear and surface buildings that would have processed coal around the clock. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to have a good look around, depending on how much time you spend reading any interpretive panels (if they're still up).

History buffs and anyone interested in Britain's post-industrial landscape will find it genuinely absorbing. Kids might manage 30 minutes before getting restless, unless they're the type who engage with industrial heritage. The location near Sutton-in-Ashfield makes it a sensible addition to a broader tour of the East Midlands mining country.

Camp nearby at Silverhill Woodland Retreats or Teversal Campsite - both within easy reach - and you can combine this with a walk along the Robin Hood Line cycle path, which runs through the old mining area. Free to visit, as far as we can tell, though access details aren't always straightforward for disused industrial sites like this one.