Duffield Art Gallery

The gallery sits in Duffield, a quiet village just outside Belper in Derbyshire, and it's genuinely free to walk in - no sneaky charges at the till. You're looking at contemporary art exhibitions that rotate regularly, so what's on depends entirely on when you visit. The space itself is modest rather than grand, which suits the work on display. Local artists feature heavily, alongside touring shows that punch above their weight for a village venue.

It's the sort of place walkers passing through actually stop at, rather than a day-long destination. Allow an hour, maybe ninety minutes if the current exhibition really grabs you. Families with older kids who can handle quiet spaces will be fine; under-tens will likely lose interest quickly. The real appeal is for art types who appreciate smaller galleries without the pretension of bigger cities - you can actually get close to work here and have a proper look.

If you're based at one of the nearby parks - The Firs is barely two miles away, or Golden Valley and Carsington Fields if you're camping further out - it's worth timing a rainy afternoon visit. Belper itself has decent pubs and a riverside walk along the Derwent, so you can build a half-day around it without forcing the issue. Check their website before you go; opening hours aren't listed online, which suggests they keep irregular hours.