Histon

Histon's gallery sits just outside Cambridge, far enough from the tourist crush but close enough for a morning visit if you're staying at one of the nearby campsites like Fen End Farm or Chittering Park. It's a proper local spot - the kind of place where you'll find contemporary work by artists who actually know the area, rather than the usual blockbuster circuit fare you get in the city centre.

The space itself is intimate. You're not here to spend half a day; an hour works fine for most people, maybe 90 minutes if something really grabs you. The gallery tends towards painting and sculpture with a regional flavour, which means you get a genuine sense of what's being made in East Anglia right now rather than just the usual touring shows.

Honestly? It's worth a detour if you're already camping nearby and want to break up the day without driving into Cambridge proper. Children who are actually interested in art will get more from it than younger kids just being dragged round. Anyone who cares about contemporary work beyond the big-name galleries should pay attention - the stuff on show here often has real conviction behind it.

You'll need to check their current opening hours before you go - they're not always open every day - but it's the sort of gallery that rewards turning up with an open mind. Less polished than Cambridge's major spaces, but often more interesting for it.