John Radcliffe

The John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford runs a proper art gallery that punches well above what you'd expect from a medical building. Tucked away on the hospital grounds, it showcases contemporary work and has hosted everything from photography to sculpture - the sort of place you wander into thinking you'll spend twenty minutes and emerge two hours later.

It's genuinely free, which makes it a solid rainy-day option if you're camped at Cedar Hollow or Valley Farm nearby. The gallery rotates its exhibitions, so what's on depends entirely on when you visit - worth checking ahead rather than turning up expecting a particular show. Most people find it refreshing precisely because it's not on the standard Oxford tourist circuit. You won't queue for hours like you might at the Ashmolean.

Historically minded visitors get something extra from being on the Radcliffe site itself - John Radcliffe was an 17th-century physician, and the hospital carries his legacy. That said, the gallery is contemporary-focused, so don't expect period rooms or medical artifacts.

For families based at Oxford Glamping or Bablock Hythe Caravan Park, it's a ten-minute drive into Oxford proper. Older kids interested in art will appreciate it more than younger ones - there's no café or gift shop nonsense to pad out a visit. It's about the work on the walls, nothing more. Allow an hour, maybe ninety minutes if the exhibition really grabs you. Free parking on hospital grounds makes it practical too.