Pillar

Contemporary art in the Surrey Hills doesn't get much more serious than Pillar, a gallery space that punches well above its weight considering Farnham's sleepy market-town status. The space itself is minimal - white walls, high ceilings, the kind of place where a single artwork can breathe properly. What matters here is the work on display, which tends toward the ambitious: installations, photography, sculpture from artists who've actually got something to say rather than just filling wall space.

You'll want to allow an hour, maybe ninety minutes if you're genuinely engaged. It's not the sort of gallery where you breeze through in twenty minutes - the pieces demand proper looking. Families with teenagers interested in art will get more out of it than young children who just want to run around. If you're serious about visual art rather than chocolate box landscapes, this is worth the drive from anywhere in the South East.

The free admission (assuming it still is - worth checking ahead) makes it a proper gem when you're staying at one of the nearby parks. Tilford Woods Lodge Retreat is only 5.4 miles away, Chapel Farm Park slightly nearer. Both are solid bases for a few days pottering around the area, and having a contemporary gallery on your doorstep breaks up the usual holiday park routine nicely. Farnham itself is charming if forgettable - the gallery's the main reason to visit.