Just 4 miles off the M1 near Wakefield, this is a great day out for all ages. And all for just a £4 donation.
It is a real coal pit with all the paraphernalia above ground. There is a small interesting museum with the history of mining and the life of miners and their families, Then you go into the pit with a real and knowledgeable miner. There are timed tours in groups of 20 with a guide. With your miner’s helmet and a light and a tally to count you into the cage to go down. Not too much walking and on level floors. You can do some crawling into narrow coal seams but you don’t have to. The kids love it and its easier for them to get into the small spaces.
The guide tells stories to the kids about life of a miner, the hard work, the food, the rats, the explosions. We all loved it.
Amazingly we were down the pit for 2 hours but it flew past.
There is a very good cafe. Other outside attractions of the pit include the stables and a little mine train and a huge adventure climbing frame.
Thoroughly recommended.
