Gallery 38

Gallery 38 sits tucked away in St Ives, and it's the sort of place you'd walk past if you weren't looking properly. It's a contemporary art space run with genuine passion rather than corporate polish, showcasing work from emerging and established artists across painting, sculpture, printmaking and mixed media. The gallery's small but that's rather the point - you're not here to tick boxes, you're here to actually look at things.

The space feels lived-in and unpretentious. Exhibitions change regularly, so there's a decent reason to pop back if you're staying locally for a week or so. Free admission is a genuine bonus, especially when you're park-based at Polmanter or Haven Riviere Sands just down the road.

It's Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 3:30pm, so you can't just turn up on a whim mid-week after a long lie-in. The crowd's usually quiet - school groups sometimes, but mostly people who've actually come to see art rather than fill time. Families with older kids who can manage a bit of gallery etiquette will get something from it; younger ones might fidget after twenty minutes.

If you're camped or caravanning nearby and the weather's turned grey, it's worth an hour's browse. St Ives itself has the obvious attractions - beaches, galleries with actual reputations - but Gallery 38 rewards the visitor who appreciates something a bit more under-the-radar. No café, no gift shop nonsense. Just art.