Minehead Lifeboat 1901-2001

A century of rescue work compressed into one small gallery in the heart of Minehead. The Lifeboat 1901-2001 exhibition documents exactly what the title promises - a hundred years of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution operating from this Somerset coast. You'll find photographs, artefacts and the stories of crews who launched into rough water when most sensible people stayed ashore.

It's straightforward rather than flashy. Glass cases hold bits of salvaged boats, old uniforms, medals for bravery. The photos are the real pull - black and white shots of waves that look genuinely terrifying, crews in heavy wool that must have been murder to work in. There's something properly moving about reading the names of people who died doing this job.

Come here if you care about maritime history or local heritage. Kids might manage fifteen minutes before restlessness sets in - it's not interactive, and there's no gift shop nonsense to distract them. It won't hold a family for a full afternoon.

The location works well enough if you're staying at Butlins or the nearby caravan park - both practically on the doorstep. You could wrap this up in half an hour and move on to Minehead's seafront, which at least offers ice cream and air. Check ahead on opening hours and admission costs before you make the trip; details are sparse and you don't want to turn up to a locked door.