Butterfly hare

Butterfly Hare is a proper Essex art space that catches you off guard - the kind of gallery you stumble into and spend longer in than you'd planned. It's an artist-run venue near Tilbury with a sharp eye for contemporary work, showing everything from painting and sculpture to installations that actually make you think rather than just look pretty.

The space itself has that raw, unpretentious feel you get in old converted industrial buildings - high ceilings, good light, none of the sterile white-cube nonsense. Exhibitions rotate regularly, so what's on depends when you visit, but they tend to favour emerging artists and work with a bit of edge to it. You're not getting safe gallery fare here.

It's worth a visit if you're into art without the gatekeeping, though I'd check their current show before making the trip - an afternoon could easily vanish, but you want to know what you're walking into. The location works well for a park-based holiday at Thamesview Camping just up the road, giving you a reason to head into Tilbury proper rather than staying put by the caravans. Realistically allow an hour to ninety minutes depending on what's on and how slowly you like to look at things.

Not one for kids unless they're genuinely interested in art - it's not set up for entertainment. But for anyone wanting something beyond the usual seaside-town fare while camping nearby, it's a genuine local spot doing its own thing.