Watt Institution

The Watt Institution sits in Helensburgh, a Victorian seaside town on the Clyde, and it's one of those places that rewards curiosity more than casual passing. Built to honour James Watt, the engineer whose steam engine innovations powered the Industrial Revolution, it's a solid museum dedicated to Scottish engineering heritage and local history. Inside you'll find artefacts, documents, and exhibits that trace Watt's work and his connections to the area - it's proper engaging if you've got even a passing interest in how things work.

Historians and engineering enthusiasts will get the most out of it, though older children studying the Industrial Revolution won't find it dry. The museum isn't massive, so you're looking at ninety minutes to two hours, depending on how much you read. It's free entry, which takes the pressure off.

What makes it useful for a park holiday is location. You're staying at either Rosneath Castle Caravan Park - just 3.4 miles south - or Hunters Quay Holiday Village, six miles away, both solid bases on the peninsula. Helensburgh itself is worth an afternoon anyway: the seafront's pleasant, there's decent coffee, and the town has that faded Victorian charm without being twee about it. Pop into the museum on a drizzly day when the beach walk feels less appealing, or make it part of a wider loop round the Clyde coast. It won't transform your holiday, but it's a proper reason to spend time in town rather than just passing through.