Sea and Shore

The gallery sits a stone's throw from Bude's seafront, and it's exactly what the name promises - a focused look at the visual culture of coastal life. Inside you'll find a rotating collection of paintings, photographs and textiles, mostly by artists with proper connections to the Cornish shoreline. It's not huge, but that's rather the point. You can take it all in without that glazed-eye feeling you get in bigger spaces.

The work tends toward the observational rather than the abstract - seascapes that actually look like the stretch of coast outside, studies of light on water, the occasional piece about fishing communities. If you're into maritime art or just want to understand how contemporary artists see this particular bit of Cornwall, it's worth an hour of your time. Kids under twelve will likely lose interest fast unless they're the sketching-in-galleries type.

Admission details aren't widely advertised online, so ring ahead before you visit. Opening hours can be seasonal too, particularly outside summer months. The gallery works well as a morning stop if you're based at Pencuke Farm or one of the other holiday parks within five miles - gives you something cultural before lunch, then the beaches sort your afternoon out. Pair it with a walk along Bude's coastal path and you've got yourself a properly rounded day.