Looking to the future

Looking to the Future is a contemporary art gallery just outside Swindon that punches well above its weight for a market town venue. The space focuses on modern and emerging artists, with rotating exhibitions that actually make you think rather than just walk past and tick a box.

The gallery itself is modest in scale, which works in its favour - you're not trudging around endless halls feeling obligated to care about everything. Most visitors spend between 45 minutes and an hour here, depending on how engaged you get with the work on show. It's the sort of place that appeals to art enthusiasts and anyone after something more intellectually stimulating than your standard tourist trawl, though families with older kids who can appreciate contemporary work won't feel out of place.

I'd recommend ringing ahead or checking their website before you go, as hours and admission fees vary depending on what's currently on display. If you're camping at Park Farm Campsite nearby, this makes an excellent half-day excursion when the weather's iffy. Swindon's town centre is close enough for a quick visit without committing your whole afternoon, and you can easily combine it with a walk around the Magic Roundabout if you're feeling brave.

Worth noting: this is working art, not stately home tourism. Go in expecting to engage with what's on the walls, not hunting for Instagram moments.