Golden Hand

The Golden Hand gallery sits just outside Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, a modest but interesting space that focuses on contemporary art and craft work. It's the kind of place that rewards a couple of hours if you're already in the area rather than a destination to plan your whole day around.

Inside you'll find rotating exhibitions of paintings, sculptures, and mixed media pieces - mostly by emerging and established British artists. The space itself is intimate, which means the work gets proper attention rather than feeling lost in cavernous halls. Staff are generally knowledgeable if you want to chat about what you're looking at, and that makes a real difference with contemporary pieces.

This works best for anyone with a genuine interest in art. Teenagers studying art and design will get something out of it. Casual browsers might find an hour enough, depending on what's on. Young children will likely get restless quickly unless there's something specifically engaging in the current exhibition.

If you're based at one of the nearby holiday parks - Center Parcs Sherwood Forest or Sherwood Forest Holiday Park are both very close - it's a decent rainy-day option that breaks up the standard park activities. Mansfield itself has a few other galleries and the Market Place is worth a wander if you've got time.

Best to ring ahead to check opening hours and what's on display before making the trip. Entry fees aren't confirmed, but most contemporary galleries of this size either charge a few pounds or ask for a donation.