Heaveawa Fitehills

The Heaveawa Fitehills gallery sits within striking distance of Banff, a coastal town in Aberdeenshire that doesn't get nearly enough attention from folk heading north into the Highlands. This is a proper art space, the sort of place you stumble into expecting nothing much and leave having had a genuine think about what you've seen.

The gallery itself is small and focused - exactly what works in a location like this. You're looking at contemporary work in a setting that lets the pieces breathe rather than drowning you in the usual gallery noise. Count on an hour if you're taking your time, less if you're just passing through. There's no entry fee, which is refreshing when so many places are charging a tenner to look at three rooms of exhibits.

Historically minded visitors will get something from the context here - Banff's got proper bones, and understanding the local arts scene adds colour to a walk around the town itself. But this isn't a museum run. It's for people who actually like contemporary work, who want to see what artists are making in this corner of Scotland right now.

Stay at Whitehills Caravan Park just down the road (under half a mile away) and you've got a cracking base. Portsoy Links, four miles south, offers similar convenience. Both put you within easy reach of the gallery and the wider northeast coast - Macduff's harbour is close by, and the clifftop walks are proper dramatic.