Chesterfield Museum

The museum sits in Chesterfield town centre, a short drive from Dronfield, and covers the area's industrial past with the kind of straightforward approach that works well if you're spending a few days at one of the nearby caravan parks. You'll find everything from Roman pottery to Victorian machinery - the sort of local history that doesn't pretend to be anything grander than it is.

The real draw here is how thoroughly it documents Derbyshire's manufacturing heritage. Textiles, coal, engineering - it's all laid out without the fuss you'd get in a bigger institution. Families with older kids (say, eight upwards) will find plenty to occupy them for a couple of hours, though younger children might lose interest fairly quickly unless they're particularly keen on industrial artefacts.

It's free to get in, which removes the guilt factor if you only spend an hour there. The museum works best as a rainy-day activity or a half-morning detour when you're based at Poolsbrook Country Park or one of the other glamping spots dotted around the area. Don't expect interactive exhibits or reconstructed workshops - this is genuine local museum work, the kind that rewards a bit of genuine curiosity.

If you're doing a proper Derbyshire week, it slots in sensibly alongside countryside walks and the inevitable visit to the famous twisted spire. Worth the trip from Dronfield if the weather's turning, though it's not worth rerouting your whole holiday for.