Broadoak Cider

The first thing that hits you at Broadoak Cider is the smell - that rich, yeasty funk of fermenting apples that tells you this is the real thing. Located in Somerset near Bath, this is a working cider maker where you can actually see what goes into the bottles rather than just buying them cold from a supermarket shelf.

You get to wander round the production side of things and watch cider being made the proper way, from apple to press to barrel. It's genuinely interesting if you care about how things are made; less so if you just want to neck a pint without thinking about it. The tasting room lets you sample their range, which shifts depending on what's available that season. Some batches are bone-dry, others sweeter. Worth trying a few.

Allow a couple of hours if you're actually going to pay attention. You can turn it into half an hour if you're just after a quick drink and a look around. Summer's the obvious time to visit, though autumn when the new harvest comes in has its own appeal.

It slots well into a Somerset break - Bath Mill Lodge Retreat is under six miles away, making it an easy detour from Bath itself. You could easily combine it with exploring the countryside around there. Fair warning though: if you're not into cider or aren't bothered about production methods, you might find yourself bored quite quickly. This isn't a theme park experience.