A mine of information

Six miles west of Wakefield you can plumb the depths of the UK’s coal industry at the National Coal Mining Museum for England. Based on the site of the old Caphouse Colliery, the museum’s buildings, displays & galleries cover 17 acres, & reveal the hidden world of mining through the centuries.

With an actual working mine to explore, you won’t get a run-of-the-mill sort of tour. Once you’re kitted out in your hard hat & battery lamp, you descend 140 metres underground in the ‘cage’. Your ex-miner guide then leads your group through the chilly, dark tunnels to explain how coal was mined & moved to the surface.

Above ground you can explore preserved buildings & machinery, & visit the new galleries to see how mining communities lived, worked & relaxed. You can also take a trip on a locomotive, meet the retired pit ponies, & enjoy a break in the café. Admission’s free & so’s the coach parking - so a visit certainly provides value for money. See www.ncm.org.uk for more details.

Back on the rails

Less than an hour’s drive away you can learn about another giant of industry at the National Railway Museum in York. Home to millions of artifacts & icons - which include everything from the world’s fastest steam engine to a lock of Robert Stephenson’s hair - the museum is the largest of its kind in the world.

This summer the popular steam excursions between York & Scarborough are expanding to include journeys from York to London, & over the Settle in the Yorkshire Dales to Carlisle. There’ll also be a Scarborough Spa Express service run by three greats from the national collection: Green Arrow, Sir Lamiel & Lord Nelson. This service will run on select days from 18 July to 31 August. For more information about group bookings & days out, contact Sheryl Brookes on 01904 686263.

Havenly!

Less than eight miles from the railway station in Scarborough is Primrose Valley - one of Haven’s flagship holiday parks. As far as summer amusement goes you couldn’t really want for much more: there’s a boating lake, pitch & putt golf course, tennis, fencing, cycle hire, show bars, & a new £6 million multi-level pool complex - not to mention Yorkshire’s sandy beaches at your doorstep.

Accommodation is in self-catering holiday homes, but if you don’t fancy cooking there are café bars & takeaways. To find out more about group bookings at Primrose Valley & other Yorkshire parks visit http://www.havengroups/. co.uk or ring 0870 242 1111.