Statue of Meleager

Walking into the York Art Gallery to find the Statue of Meleager is a bit like stumbling across an old friend you'd forgotten about. This Roman marble sculpture sits quietly in the collection, a proper showstopper if you know what you're looking at - carved from white marble, depicting the Greek hunter in all his classical glory. It's not one of those attractions that'll have queues round the block, which is rather the point.

The gallery itself sits right in the heart of York, so you're not going out of your way. You could easily spend two hours here without rushing, though Meleager himself demands maybe twenty minutes of proper attention if you're into classical sculpture and mythology. The statue's got real presence - the detail in the drapery, the muscularity of the figure. History types and art students will get far more from it than young children, to be honest.

Admission to the main galleries is free, though special exhibitions sometimes charge. Best visited on a weekday morning if you want elbow room. The Roman and Greek collections share floor space with everything from medieval manuscripts to contemporary work, so you're not making a special trip just for one statue.

If you're camping at York Meadows or Fox Hill Holiday Park - both cracking spots just outside the city - the gallery makes for a rainy afternoon well spent. Twenty minutes' walk from the caravan parks puts you in the city centre proper, and Meleager's worth the detour once you're there.