Six Towns

Six Towns Distillery sits in Staffordshire, near Stafford, producing spirits in a county better known for pottery than gin. The operation itself is fairly intimate - you're not walking through vast warehouse complexes here, but rather getting hands-on access to the distilling process in a space that feels genuinely operational rather than theme-park polished.

You'll see the copper stills, learn how they're working with local ingredients, and actually taste what they've made. It's the sort of place where the people running it clearly know what they're talking about, which makes the whole thing feel less like a tourist tick-box and more like stumbling into someone's genuine project. The tasting element is where it gets interesting - craft spirits from the Midlands are still relatively rare enough to be worth trying properly rather than just buying a bottle blindfolded.

Gin enthusiasts will get the most from a visit, though anyone curious about small-batch production will find it worthwhile. Families with younger kids might find it a bit dry (literally and figuratively), but teenagers who are into food or craft will probably engage with it. Allow around an hour, ninety minutes if you're chatting properly with staff.

It's not a full day's entertainment on its own, but couples or groups staying at nearby Fledgling Farm campsite would do well to slot it in alongside a walk or a proper poke around Stafford town centre. Worth a detour if you're already in the area, though don't reroute your holiday specifically for it.