Ye Olde Mustard Pot

After some time contemplating wide-open moorland? Grab the walking boots and head for Howden Clough along the High Stones walking route, or follow the Longdendale Trail from the car park (both five minutes’ drive) up to the historic landmark of Woodhead Railway Station. Fancy a day in the big city? Tour the steam engines and former factories at the Kelham Island Museum in Sheffield (half an hour) for a taster of regional heritage, or take the kids to clamber over fire engines at the National Emergency Services Museum. Alternatively, have a wander in the Winter Garden and book an evening performance at the famous Crucible Theatre. To stay more local, tour the formal plantings and parkland at National Trust-owned Wentworth Castle (20 minutes). And if you’re looking for rainy-day ideas (always sensible in Yorkshire), take the kids to run off energy at Jungle Monkeys (five minutes), have nose around the former blacksmiths and railway station at Wortley Top Forge (10 minutes) or spend a happy half day on the water slides at Barnsley Metrodome Waterpark (25 minutes).