Boomerang

Boomerang is a contemporary art gallery just outside Wimborne, the kind of place that catches you off guard if you're expecting Dorset to be all cream teas and coastal walks. It's a working studio and exhibition space that showcases modern art - painting, sculpture, installation work - from emerging and established artists. The space itself has real character, not some sterile white cube affair. You'll spend anywhere from an hour to a couple of hours here depending on what's on and how deeply you engage with the work.

This is absolutely the spot for anyone with even a passing interest in contemporary art who's staying at one of the nearby parks like Rockley or South Lytchett Manor. It breaks up a holiday nicely if you're basing yourself in the area. Not one for young children unless you're confident they'll behave around work that needs care, but teenagers with any artistic inclination will find it genuinely interesting. Adults who enjoy smaller, independent galleries rather than the obvious big venues will get more from this than anywhere else in the immediate vicinity.

The admission details and exact opening hours aren't straightforward to pin down online, so ring ahead before you visit - it's worth the five-minute phone call rather than turning up to a closed door. Wimborne itself is worth a wander around while you're in the area anyway, with its medieval church and high street proper close by.