Pelican

Pelican is a contemporary art gallery just outside Cambridge, the kind of place that rewards a lazy afternoon if you're staying at one of the caravan parks dotted around the city - Cherry Hinton or the Camping and Caravanning Club Site are both within three miles. The gallery focuses on modern and contemporary work, rotating exhibitions that tend to be thoughtfully curated rather than blockbuster affairs.

It's genuinely worth a visit if you care about art. The space itself is clean and uncluttered, which means the work gets proper breathing room - no fighting through crowds or squinting past hundreds of other people's heads. You'll spend anything from an hour to ninety minutes depending on how thoroughly you engage with what's on.

Unlike some university-town galleries that feel a bit self-important, Pelican strikes a decent balance between serious practice and accessibility. Regular visitors find it changes enough to warrant repeat trips throughout the year. The admission cost varies with exhibitions, though opening hours do occasionally shift seasonally, so checking ahead beats a wasted journey.

It suits art enthusiasts and anyone keen to spend a couple of hours away from the tourist crush of Cambridge's college circuit. Families with restless teenagers might find it a bit quiet. If you're camping nearby and the weather turns, it's a solid indoor option. The gallery anchors a half-day easily enough - pair it with a walk around Cambridge's backroads or a punt on the Cam, and you've got something worthwhile on your hands.