Women's Auxiliary Air Force

The Women's Auxiliary Air Force site near Burton-on-Trent tells the story of the thousands of women who served in Britain's air force during the Second World War - and it's a properly moving place to visit. You're walking through actual wartime buildings where female pilots, mechanics, plotters and gunners worked, lived and sometimes died in service. The exhibits pull no punches about what these women faced: the long hours, the danger, the dismissal they often got after the war ended.

History enthusiasts will spend a couple of hours here without rushing, though it's not a sprawling site. The real impact comes from reading the individual stories and seeing the photographs - these weren't ancillary workers, they were flying aircraft and maintaining complex machinery when the country desperately needed them. Children old enough to engage with serious history will find it gripping; younger ones might lose interest after half an hour.

Access details can be tricky to pin down online, so ring ahead before you go. The site works well as a half-day excursion when you're staying in the area - Kingfisher Holiday Park is only a few miles away, making it an easy drive. Burton-on-Trent itself has enough going on to fill another day if you're making a longer trip. This is the kind of place that stays with you long after you've left - not because it's polished or touristy, but because the stories are real and the sacrifice was genuine.