Beamish Museum, Beamish

Lovely place set in a large valley. A farm, pit village, Manor House, funfair, transport garage and town were all quite far apart but there were frequent trams and vintage buses to transport you. We also saw specific transport for disabled visitors. However you would need to be fit to push a wheelchair up some of the hills to access the exhibits. I would suggest stout shoes and take some food supplies with you. The ice cream vendor, fish & chip shop, bakery and sweet shop all had large queues. There was also a cafe and shop at the entrance. The museum was very well staffed with people in authentic dress in all the exhibits. They where very knowledgeable about their specific place & time. Just ask them - they all have their story to tell. If you talk to them you will get so much more from your visit. The smell of coal smoke around the site, the groceries, the sounds and the contents of the houses were all very evocative of the eras. Was an enjoyable day - and we had good weather.

Lovely place, lovely people. A bit hilly to walk round but there are buses and a train to take you round. Just hop on and off. Queues for fish and chips were long and we didn't have time to wait but they looked good. A lot to get round so a early time slot is better to see as much as possible. A great day out for the family and a little fair there too. Lots of space to take a picnic as kind as you can carrot it round with you! ( Maybe take a wheeled trolley carrier) great to see how they lived and worked. Loved the little houses with their kitchen gardens and the old fashioned shops, especially the sweet shop.