George Bernard Shaw

The George Bernard Shaw gallery sits in Hertfordshire, just outside St Albans, and is genuinely worth a detour if you're the sort who gets excited about literary history. Shaw's life reads like a script he might have written himself - Irish wit, socialist politics, vegetarian crusades, and a Nobel Prize thrown in for good measure.

What you're looking at here is the man's world, essentially. You'll find manuscripts, photographs, correspondence, and personal effects that paint a picture of someone who was impossible to ignore in his time and remains fascinatingly awkward now. The correspondence alone is worth the walk - Shaw wrote obsessively, to everyone, about everything. His opinions were unshakeable and often hilarious.

This appeals most to literature enthusiasts and anyone with a weakness for Edwardian eccentrics. If you're dragging reluctant teenagers along, fair warning: it's not interactive or flashy. It requires a bit of patience and genuine curiosity about Shaw himself.

It's free admission, which is generous, though opening hours can be variable so ring ahead before you visit. Allow an hour, ninety minutes if you're reading the letters properly. St Albans itself is worth a morning - proper cathedral city - and the gallery slots in nicely alongside that.

Based near Cherry Green Trees or Commons Wood if you're caravan-camping, this makes a solid afternoon activity when the weather turns grey and you need something indoors. Not a family crowd-pleaser, but for Shaw devotees, it's the real thing.