Radstock Museum

Radstock Museum sits in what was once the beating heart of Somerset's coal mining industry, and walking through its doors feels like stepping into a time capsule of underground labour. The collection pulls together artefacts, photographs and personal accounts from the men who spent their working lives in the pits around Mells - it's genuinely moving stuff, especially when you see the tools they used and read the stories pinned alongside them.

You'll spend a solid hour here, maybe ninety minutes if you're the type who reads every placard. The museum isn't flashy - no interactive screens or reconstructed pit workings - but that's rather the point. It's straightforward, honest curation about a working community that shaped this corner of Somerset for generations.

This works brilliantly for anyone with a proper interest in industrial heritage or local history. Families with younger children might find it a bit static, though teenagers fascinated by how things used to work will get something from it. Walkers doing the wider Mells circuit will appreciate the context it gives to the landscape around them - knowing what lay beneath your feet changes how you see a place.

It's a short hop from Glamping on the Hill if you're staying in the area, making a natural addition to a heritage-focused break. Free admission, which is refreshingly straightforward. Go on a quiet weekday morning if you can - you'll have the place nearly to yourself.