Ainsty Ales

There's a proper working brewery just outside York that actually lets you in to see what's going on, and that's Ainsty Ales. It's a small operation - the kind of place where the brewers know what they're talking about because they're the ones doing it, not just reading from a script. You get to walk around the actual brewery floor, see the kit in action, and taste what they've made that week. No twee gift shop or corporate polish, just beer and the people who make it.

Brewery tours appeal to a specific crowd, and it's not families with small kids - not because they're unwelcome, but because standing around vats of fermenting liquid for forty minutes loses children fast. Adult drinkers, especially those who've got into craft beer in the last decade, will find it worthwhile. If you're the type who reads labels and cares where things come from, this is your sort of stop.

The specifics are thin on the ground - opening hours and entry fees aren't published online, so you'll need to ring ahead or check their social channels. Allow an hour including the tasting. It sits handily between York and the caravan parks dotted around the area - Cawood Park is barely four miles away, and Nurseries Caravan Park closer still at just over three. Slot this in as a late afternoon visit before heading back to your lodge or pitch for dinner.