Penn Street Gallery

Penn Street Gallery sits in the heart of Buckinghamshire's rolling countryside, a short drive from Amersham. It's a proper working gallery space where you can browse contemporary art without the stuffiness of the big-name venues - the kind of place where artists actually want to chat about their work rather than leave you to figure it out from a placard.

The gallery showcases rotating exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, and mixed media from both established and emerging artists. Walk in and you might find yourself looking at bold abstracts one visit, figurative portraits the next. There's no pretension here, which is refreshing. The space itself is compact enough that you won't need hours to see everything, but engaging enough that you'll want to linger.

It appeals most to art enthusiasts and anyone looking for something beyond the standard seaside attractions - families with older kids who aren't going to get restless will do fine, though very young ones might find it quiet. It works brilliantly as a mid-week outing when you're based at one of the nearby parks like Lights Camera Glamping or Penn Meadow Farm Camping. Pair it with a walk through Penn Wood or a proper lunch in Amersham town centre and you've got a solid half-day sorted.

The gallery sits comfortably within the Chilterns, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so you're never far from better scenery anyway - but it breaks up a park-based holiday nicely if the weather turns or you fancy something indoors.