Lucy Pittaway

Lucy Pittaway's gallery sits in Richmond, a proper Georgian market town in North Yorkshire, and it's the kind of place you wander into by accident and end up spending longer than you planned. The work on display tends towards contemporary pieces - paintings, sculpture, mixed media - with a real focus on supporting artists who aren't necessarily household names yet. It's intimate rather than grand, which means you can actually have a look at things without feeling rushed.

This isn't for everyone. If you're after the Turner Prize conversation pieces, you'll find more established names elsewhere. But if you appreciate work that's genuinely experimental and often locally made, it's worth a stop. The gallery has that slightly rough-around-the-edges energy that makes art feel like something people do rather than something locked behind velvet ropes.

You'll want maybe 45 minutes to an hour depending on what's on. There's usually no admission charge, though donations are welcomed. Best visited midweek if you prefer a bit of quiet - weekends bring the Richmond crowds who've wandered over from the castle.

If you're staying at Hewn Yorkshire just down the road, it's an easy detour into town. The gallery pairs well with Richmond's bookshops, cafes, and the riverside walk. You won't find it on every guidebook's must-do list, which is rather the point - it's the kind of discovery that makes a park holiday feel less like ticking boxes and more like actually finding something real.