Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery

The museum sits right in Peterborough city centre, a solid Victorian building that doesn't announce itself loudly but rewards a proper look inside. You're stepping into the city's actual story here - Roman pottery, Saxon graves, the bits that actually matter if you want to understand what Peterborough was and became.

The art gallery upstairs is the real draw if you're not entirely sold on local archaeology. Works rotate through fairly regularly, so it's not the kind of place where you'll see the exact same exhibition twice. Ground floor tends to hold the permanent collections - medieval stuff, Roman finds, that sort of thing. All quite well laid out without being patronising.

Historically minded visitors will spend two hours without noticing the time. Families with younger kids might find an hour stretches it unless the child happens to be genuinely into archaeology. There's no massive interactive section for the under-eights, which is worth knowing. Admission is free, which frankly makes it worth the visit even if you're only in Peterborough for an afternoon.

If you're based at Ferry Meadows or Nene Outdoors - both are just a few miles out - this fills a rainy day perfectly or makes a decent cultural break between outdoor activities. The city centre location means you can park up and walk to a café afterwards. Not life-changing, but genuinely worthwhile if you're spending a week in the area. Beats another lap of the caravan park.