[00:46.69]Here is some information about history and nature walks in the region.
[00:51.69]They can be completed in less than a day and also be combined with a visit to Melby, a former coal mine now open to the public.
[00:59.29]The Marsden Coastal Walk is suitable for all the family as there are no strenuous climbs.
[01:08.24]The route begins at Marsden harbour, where there are hourly ferries to and from the beautiful Hooker Island, a great place for fishing.
[01:17.52]The walk covers part of the coastal path trail.
[01:21.08]As there are clear signposts all along the way, you don't even need to take a map with you.
[01:26.85]At one point, the route goes inland slightly and passes a castle built in the 1400s near to a now-vanished market town.
[01:36.65]The castle's now just a pile of stones but it's a great place to take photos, and fascinating information boards show what it once looked like.
[01:45.91]If you set off early, you can be back in time for midday.
[01:50.58]The Melby Heritage Walk is a great place to take photos, especially of the night sky.
[01:57.26]At certain times of the year, people come here from far and wide.
[02:01.94]They climb to the top of the valley and take pictures of the stars.
[02:06.58]In the daytime, it's completely different.
[02:09.74]As you hike through the dense woods in the valley bottom, the only things you'll hear are the sound of your own footsteps.
[02:17.56]At the highest point, you can stop to take in the views, and those with lots of energy can climb the tower that's situated where there was once a seventeenth century hunting lodge.
[02:30.08]The route continues along the tops of the hills and brings you back down to the starting point - the car park at Melby Coal Mine.
[03:27.26]Melby Coal Mine has been open to the public for twenty years and has won awards for its visitor experience.
[03:34.98]Many of the buildings around the mine are still standing and have been converted into display areas.
[03:41.85]Firstly, there's an exhibition showing the history of the mine, with many original black and white photos.
[03:48.33]To see that, you go from the car park, via a covered walkway to the Main Visitor Centre.
[03:55.01]Go through the ticket office to an area where there are lockers to leave heavy bags in, and where you can borrow raincoats.
[04:02.83]Beyond that room is the exhibition.
[04:06.29]There's a small bathhouse where miners used to wash after their shift underground.
[04:11.93]You can see that in the building directly to the north of the engine house.
[04:16.85]The boiler has gone from there now, but there are lines of tin baths on the stone floor.
[04:23.30]There's a display of early mining tools from the days before mechanisation.
[04:28.18]You can find that in a small L-shaped building in the middle of the northern boundary of the site.
[04:34.42]It's incredible to think how miners were able to use hand implements to cut through rock.
[04:41.60]The vehicle shed, where you can find wagons of different sizes, along with some of the hi-tech cutting machines that were in use until the mine closed, is in the southwest corner of the site, and can be accessed via a covered walkway.
[04:57.81]There is a field with ponies, which are always popular with children, on the north-eastern boundary of the site, not approached via a covered walkway.
[05:08.14]The other building to mention is the education centre.
[05:11.78]This is where school groups go when they visit the mine, but it's also accessible to the public as it contains a library and small gift shop.
[05:21.58]The centre is connected to the ticket office via a short section of covered walkway.
