Ascending Form (Gloria)

Gloria's Ascending Form is a contemporary art installation that sits just outside Cambridge, drawing in anyone with even a passing interest in modern sculpture. The work itself is a striking vertical piece - all clean lines and geometric ambition - that commands attention the moment you approach it. It's the sort of thing that stops you mid-walk and makes you circle it a couple of times, looking for different angles.

This isn't a sprawling gallery space where you'll lose three hours. It's a single work in an outdoor setting, so expect to spend twenty minutes here maximum, though you might linger longer if the light's right or you're the type to stand and stare. The installation rewards close looking but doesn't demand it - it works just as well as a striking landmark on a countryside walk.

Art types and photographers will get the most from it, though walkers using the Cambridge greenways will stumble upon it happily enough. There's something refreshing about serious contemporary art existing outside a white-walled gallery context, even if you're not entirely sure what you make of it.

If you're based at one of the caravan sites circling Cambridge - Cherry Hinton or Highfield Farm are closest at 3.5 miles - this makes a decent addition to a day exploring the city's arts and colleges. It's worth checking opening hours and access before you go, mind you. Combine it with a proper walk through the Cambridgeshire countryside rather than treating it as a destination in itself.