Davidson Fine Art

Davidson Fine Art sits just off Totnes high street, a proper grown-up gallery that won't waste your time with tourist tat. The space is intimate rather than grand - you're looking at work from established and emerging artists, mostly contemporary pieces with a regional focus. The rotating exhibitions mean there's always something different, whether it's paintings, sculpture, or mixed media.

It's the sort of place you pop into for twenty minutes and end up lingering for an hour. There's real thought behind the curation, and the staff actually know what they're talking about - not the case everywhere. Free to browse, which helps.

Not one for small children unless they're genuinely interested in art, but for anyone spending a long weekend in the area it's worth the detour. Totnes itself is worth half a day anyway - the castle, the independent shops, decent cafes. If you're staying at Ashbourne Woods just down the road, the gallery makes for a solid wet-weather option or a cultural break between walking routes. The drive into town is about ten minutes depending on traffic.

Go mid-week if you can. Weekends bring the day-trippers, and the space feels less intimate for it. Allow an hour to actually look at things properly, rather than just drift through.