Solar Gate

The Solar Gate isn't your typical gallery experience. It's a contemporary art installation in East Yorkshire that catches the light in ways that make you stop mid-walk and actually look at it properly. The piece works with natural sunlight to create changing patterns throughout the day - which sounds gimmicky on paper but genuinely isn't once you're standing in front of it.

You're looking at site-specific sculpture rather than a traditional indoor gallery, so there's no stuffiness about it. It's the kind of thing that appeals to anyone interested in modern art and landscape design, but also catches the eye of families on walks who weren't expecting to find anything interesting. Kids tend to like it because the visual effects shift as you move around and the light changes - there's something almost magical about watching shadows play across the surface.

Beverley is your nearest proper town, which has proper cafes and a decent high street if you want to make a full day of it. If you're staying at Manor Farm Camping, it's a reasonable drive over for an afternoon visit. The piece works best in decent weather and at different times of day produce noticeably different effects, so it's worth planning accordingly rather than just turning up any old time.

Allow thirty to forty minutes if you're just visiting the gate itself, longer if you want to sit with it and watch how the light moves. Bring a decent camera if photography matters to you - it photographs better than you'd expect.