Spirit

Spirit gallery sits just outside St Andrews, which means you can roll up after a morning wandering the old university streets and hit this place for an afternoon's worth of looking at art. It's a contemporary gallery space, the kind where you'll find actual thought behind what's on the walls rather than the tired reproductions you see everywhere else.

The space itself rewards a proper look. You're not going to rush through in twenty minutes - allow a couple of hours if you want to get something from it. The work tends toward painting and sculpture, though the programme shifts, so check what's on before you go. People who like their art without the stuffiness will appreciate it; families with teenagers who tolerate galleries rather than love them might find it more engaging than your standard museum.

Admission details are a bit vague online, so ring ahead. That's not ideal, but St Andrews being St Andrews, information sometimes feels deliberately obscure.

If you're staying at one of the nearby parks - Craigtoun Meadows is decent for families, or the St Andrews Holiday Park if you want to be closer to town - Spirit fits nicely into a day that also includes the beach walk or a wander around the castle. It's not a destination in itself, but paired with other things in the area, it's worth the stop. Don't come expecting to spend hours; come expecting to see something genuinely interesting.