On Saturday afternoon we decided it was about time we stayed closer to home and explored Clitheroe's historic Castle.

Much has been written over the past few years about the multi-million pound transformation of the town's 800-year-old Castle and its museum into a new-look visitor attraction.

Restoration work has been carried out on the 12th Century Keep, a glass atrium has been constructed linking the castle's museum with the North West Sound Archive and providing space for a "cafetessen", while interactive displays have been incorporated into the exhibition space which focuses on the history of the Ribble Valley.

In my opinion every penny spent was well worth it.

Our visit with friends on a wet Saturday afternoon started in the cafetessen where our order was dealt with efficiently by attentive, polite staff, who ensured the home-cooked food was delivered to our table quickly. From the eatery we made our way downstairs to the museum entrance where our four young intrepid explorers donned colourful backpacks complete with pith helmets and magnifying glasses as we paid the modest entry fee before setting off to learn more about the area in which we live.

There were plenty of "hands-on" activities to entertain the youngsters, with flaps to lift, buttons to press, outfits to wear, stories to listen to and things to find as we adults read about the Valley's geological history, industrial heritage, the folklore and customs of the Valley – not forgetting, of course, the infamous local witches.
As well as catering for younger visitors, the museum provides lots for adults to read and learn.

Such fantastic use has been made of the available space, with the displays housed in lots of different rooms, that you almost always feel that you have the place to yourselves. On the odd occasion when we did happen upon a room where there were other visitors we simply moved on and then went back to catch up on what we had missed.

By the time we reached the end of our tour the rain had abated and we headed outdoors. Standing above the town's war memorial the views of Pendle Hill were amazing, with low grey storm clouds framing the famous landmark.

We then went up the Keep and made use of the new walkway from where we enjoyed the panoramic scenes of the Ribble Valley before letting the children loose in the Creative Activity Space.

Our afternoon ended in a local hostelry where, over a pint or two of locally brewed beer, we came to the conclusion that our afternoon out at Clitheroe Castle had definitely provided excellent value for money.