Riverside Gallery

The Riverside Gallery sits quietly in Powys, a proper find if you're touring the Mid Wales valleys. It's a contemporary art space that takes itself seriously without being pretentious - the kind of place where you might stumble across work from emerging Welsh artists alongside established names. The gallery focuses on painting, sculpture and mixed media, with exhibitions that rotate seasonally, so what's on when you visit depends entirely on timing.

It works well if you're the sort who likes to nose around local art scenes rather than hit the obvious tourist stops. You'll spend anything from twenty minutes to an hour here depending on how deep you want to go with each piece. The space itself is intimate rather than sprawling, which means you can see everything without wandering for ages.

Practically speaking, the gallery's close enough to Swansea to make it a side-trip if you're based there, but it's better suited to people staying in the Brecon Beacons area itself. Brecon Beacons Camping & Caravan Park is only five miles away and rates brilliantly with visitors - so you could easily combine a morning at the gallery with hiking or exploring the hills in the afternoon. That said, ring ahead to check opening hours and current exhibitions before you drive out. You don't want to arrive and find it's closed for an artist residency or private event.