Lone Soldier

The Lone Soldier gallery sits just outside Amersham, a modest space dedicated to work that tends to pull you up short. It's the kind of place you might stumble across while exploring the Chilterns rather than plan a day trip around - but that doesn't diminish what's on the walls.

What you're looking at here is contemporary art with an edge. The gallery focuses on work that challenges rather than decorates, which means some visitors will find it brilliant and others will wonder what they're looking at. Fair enough - that's rather the point.

You won't need more than an hour here, even if you're the type to read every label. It works well as a half-way stop between Amersham town centre and a walk into the beech woods, or combined with a night at one of the nearby camping spots like Penn Meadow Farm or North Hill Farm. Those sites are popular with families who want easy access to the Chilterns without the full resort experience.

The practicalities aren't entirely clear from the usual sources - opening hours and admission fees aren't advertised online, so ring ahead before you visit. It's worth doing, though. Amersham itself is a proper gem if you've got an hour to kill, all half-timbered shops and tea rooms down the high street.

Suits art-minded visitors and anyone after something less obvious than the usual Buckinghamshire attractions. Kids might fidget unless contemporary work genuinely interests them.