Still Life

The gallery sits in Greenfield, a proper working mill town in the foothills above Oldham where you can still hear the water running through the valley. Still Life is a contemporary art space - smaller than you'd expect, which means you won't feel lost wandering round, but also means a visit takes about an hour max, maybe ninety minutes if you're the type to read every card.

What you'll find depends on the current show, but this place leans toward the kind of work that makes you think rather than just look - installations, paintings, the occasional video piece. It's the sort of gallery where you might spend five minutes on something that looks simple and suddenly see what the artist was doing. That said, it's not trying to be difficult for the sake of it.

Worth the trip if you're staying at one of the nearby holiday parks - Secret Valley Escapes and Dovestone are both within easy striking distance - and you want an hour out of the rain. History types won't get much here (there's nothing about the mills or the area's industrial past), and it's not really a family destination unless your kids are already into contemporary art. The admission situation and opening hours aren't always straightforward, so ring ahead before you go.

It works best as part of a broader Pennine walk day - park up, do an hour in the gallery, then head out into the hills. Greenfield's got decent pubs nearby too, which helps justify the stop.