Daisy the Alligator

The first thing that strikes you about Daisy the Alligator is how utterly unexpected it is for Windsor and Maidenhead - a proper art gallery dedicated to a taxidermied alligator. Yes, really. This isn't some twee riverside attraction; it's genuinely quirky and worth seeking out if you're the type who'd rather spend an afternoon somewhere with character than trudging round another National Trust property.

Daisy herself is a substantial creature, mounted and displayed with the kind of reverence usually reserved for Old Masters. The gallery wraps around her story - which is worth knowing before you arrive - and the accompanying artwork and installations give the whole thing a wonderfully strange, cabinet-of-curiosities feel. It's the sort of place that makes you question what art actually is, which is rather the point.

Really it's best for adults and older teenagers with a sense of humour. Young kids might find it a bit baffling, though the sheer oddness could certainly intrigue them. Allow an hour, maybe ninety minutes if you're the contemplative type. Admission details are thin on the ground, so do ring ahead from Maidenhead town centre before making the trip.

If you're staying at one of the nearby caravan parks - Amerden's closest at under two miles - Daisy makes for an excellent rainy-day diversion or a deliberately strange complement to a more conventional Thames Valley break. It's the sort of place you'll either love or scratch your head at. Either way, you won't forget it.