National Coal Mining Museum for England

The pit cage descends 140 metres below ground, and your stomach knows it. The National Coal Mining Museum for England, just outside Wakefield, takes you down into a real working colliery to experience what miners faced daily for centuries. It's properly gripping stuff.

Above ground, there's a full museum with exhibits explaining the industry's grip on Yorkshire life - machinery, artefacts, photographs of the men who worked here. But the underground tour is what sticks with you. Former miners lead the way, and they don't sanitise it. The narrow seams, the darkness broken only by helmet lamps, the weight of knowing this was routine work. Kids aged eight and up generally handle it well, though younger ones might find it claustrophobic.

Allow three to four hours minimum. The tour groups are small and regular, which works in your favour. It's free to enter the museum proper, though the underground tour costs a few quid per person - entirely worth it. Go midweek if possible to avoid school groups clogging the pit.

Stay at Broadlands Farm Touring Caravan Site, just four miles away, and you've got a solid base for exploring post-industrial Yorkshire. The museum ties in well with Wakefield's cathedral and city walks. Honest place, this one. Not cheerful, but necessary.