Jo Downs Handmade Glass - Dartmouth

Jo Downs makes glass. Not the mass-produced stuff you'll find in every high street shop - we're talking proper handmade pieces, each one different from the last. Her studio gallery sits in Dartmouth, and it's the kind of place you stumble into expecting to spend twenty minutes and end up lingering for an hour, watching the light move through the coloured glass.

What you get here is a chance to see someone actually working with their craft. The pieces range from jewellery to larger decorative work, and there's something oddly meditative about watching how light behaves through handblown glass. It appeals most to anyone with even a passing interest in craft - whether that's ceramicists, jewellery makers, or folk who just appreciate the difference between something made by hand and something stamped out by machine.

If you're staying around Paignton way at one of the nearby parks like South Bay Holiday Park or Hoburne Devon Bay, Dartmouth itself is worth a proper visit anyway. The river's lovely, the town has real character, and Jo Downs fits nicely into a morning's wandering around the high street. The gallery won't take hours - budget 45 minutes unless you're seriously into glass work - but it's genuine and unpretentious in a way that makes the detour feel justified.

Check opening hours before you go. It's worth ringing ahead to confirm the gallery's open, especially if you're making a special trip from your holiday park.