Love and Starfish Art Gallery

The Love and Starfish Art Gallery is a proper independent space just outside Derby where contemporary artists show work that actually makes you stop and think. It's the kind of place that doesn't announce itself loudly, which means you'll either discover it by accident or by asking around locally. The gallery focuses on emerging and established artists, rotating exhibitions through the year. You'll find painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media - the usual spread, but with a curatorial eye that suggests someone genuinely cares what goes on the walls rather than just filling space.

It's worth half an hour if you're in Derby proper, maybe longer if an exhibition catches your eye. Artists types and anyone fed up with the commercial gallery circuit will appreciate the lack of pretension here. Kids might find it a bit hit-and-miss depending on what's showing, though contemporary art can surprise people if it's presented well.

If you're basing yourself at Hill Farm Camping & Caravan Park nearby, the gallery makes for a decent wet-weather outing or a morning break before heading elsewhere in the area. Check ahead for opening times and what's on - there's nothing worse than pitching up only to find it closed for an exhibition change. Free admission would be the norm for a space like this, but worth confirming before you go.