Robert Art

The gallery sits in Banff, a coastal town that doesn't shout about itself but rewards a proper look. Robert Art is a contemporary space - the sort of place you'd wander into expecting to spend twenty minutes and find yourself still there an hour later, turning over what you've just seen.

It's small enough that you won't feel overwhelmed, but the work on show tends to be thoughtful rather than decorative. The setting matters too. Being this far north, light falls differently through the windows, and that changes how you read the pieces. Artists and anyone genuinely interested in what's happening in Scottish contemporary practice will get the most from it. Kids might find it a bit slow unless they're the type who ask questions.

If you're staying at Sandend Holidays - just 2.8 miles away and open April through October - the gallery makes for a halfway-decent rainy afternoon or a quiet morning before hitting the beaches. It's free entry, which takes the pressure off. Allow forty minutes minimum, longer if you're the type who reads every wall note.

Banff itself is worth a wander. There's real character in the old town, and the caravan parks nearby - Portsoy Links and Greencraig - all sit within easy reach. It's not Edinburgh or Glasgow, but that's rather the point. If you want your gallery time filtered through somewhere genuine rather than somewhere trying too hard, Robert Art delivers.