Lead mining isn't sexy by any stretch of the imagination, but that does, of course, depend on how exciting the tour guide is. The answer at Nenthead is 'brilliant', they really bring it to life and make you understand the simply incomprehendable working lifes of the lead miners. As well as the underground tour, there are other exhibits like 'the power of water' [pictured], a small shop and tea rooms. It's quite remote, but worth the drive if you have a passion for living history.

What is it? Where is it? Good questions. To answer the first, it's the passion of one woman and her very hard-working husband. Edwina Miller had a plan to do something special and Cobble Hey is the result. There are gardens to walk around, split into a multitude of secret areas all leading into the next. There are rare breeds to entertain the children and usually cuties to make everyone go Aaaawwwww [ducklings, chicks, lambs, etc]. There is a tea room, shop, unusual herbaceous perennials for sale, walks and events on an ongoing basis.

Cobble Hey is located near to Garstang, but on the other side of the M6, check directions on the website, but there are brown signs to guide you. A truly great day out.

If your searching for something a little different to entertain you and the family on the edge of the Lake District, then this may be right up your street. If you ignore the promise of a 'wonderfully wooly experience' their is a large shop to wander around and the shows are great, but check first to make sure there's one on when you're in the locality. It's more than just sheep of course, depending on the time of year your go, my personal favourite is the sheep dogs herding the geese. A little random, but entertaining nonetheless.

Out in the Suffolk countryside lives one of England's finest vineyards, both in terms of the wine produced and the experience for those looking for a visit. Nestled near to Framlingham, this vineyard is still small enough for you to feel that real care is taken in creating this wine. The tours are very informative and there's even a little cafe for teas and coffees once you've tried all the wine! Even better is that you can buy a gift voucher for a loved one and lets face it, we all know plenty of people who'd appreciate that.

I always feel 'mines' sound a bit dull, but in my experience they rarely are once you pluck up the courage to go for it. The underground tours here are great, they really paint a picture for you of what life was like for a family of miners and trust me, you wouldn't want that job. The new Via Ferrata part of the attraction is like nothing else you've seen in this country, but it will blow you away . . . if you've got the courage to do it. Remember to pop into the Seatoller Visitor Information Point down in the hamlet, as they've got a wealth of knowledge and printed information for you to take away.

Even although this is not your classic "visitor attraction", it's definitely a great place to visit. As the name suggests they do Ice Cream, but it's also as good with coffees and teas as any American branded coffee house. The main site is on the sea front in Felixstowe, though there's another one opened recently in Colchester. I expect there will be a few more soon across the East of England, simply because they make all of their own ice cream from scratch using milk local to the area. And they're not scared to experiment a little, so keep your eye on their changing ice cream menu!