First Dance

You'll find Neil Wood's sculpture gallery tucked away in the Staffordshire countryside, just outside Stafford. First Dance is the work of an artist obsessed with capturing movement in stone and metal - and it shows. The pieces here aren't the sort of thing you'd expect to find gathering dust in a village hall. There's genuine craft on display, with sculptures that actually make you stop and look properly rather than walk past checking your phone.

Walkers and art enthusiasts will get the most from it. If your kids are into creative stuff, they might find it interesting enough to justify the detour, though it's not a day out in itself - more of a worthwhile addition to a wider ramble around the area. You're only really looking at an hour here, maybe ninety minutes if you're genuinely into sculpture.

Stafford itself is close by, which means you've got decent options for parking and grabbing a proper lunch afterwards. The nearby caravan sites at Fledgling Farm and Woodview - both well-rated spots - make this a reasonable stop if you're basing yourself in the area for a few days. You could combine it with a walk through some of the better countryside around here, then take in the gallery on your way back.

It's free admission and worth knowing about if you're already in the region, though I wouldn't recommend driving an hour out of your way specifically for it. But if you're staying at one of the local holiday parks and looking for something a bit different on a rainy afternoon, you could do far worse.