Tavistock Art Gallery

The gallery sits right in Tavistock town centre, occupying a modest space that punches well above its weight. You're looking at rotating exhibitions of local and regional artists - paintings, sculpture, printwork, the occasional photography display. Nothing flashy, but genuine craft and a real sense of what Devon artists are actually making right now rather than what some curator thinks tourists want to see.

It's the sort of place you'll spend forty minutes or an hour in, tops. Families with younger kids might find it a bit of a stretch unless they've got serious art inclinations. Adult art enthusiasts and anyone who actually paints or sculpts will find something worthwhile. The staff know their stuff without being precious about it.

Since it's free admission and bang in the centre of Tavistock, you'd naturally drift in while exploring the town's other attractions - the Abbey ruins, the pubs, the general pottering about. If you're staying at Langstone Manor or Woodovis, both just a couple of miles out, you can easily pop into town for an hour or so. Check opening hours before you go though - smaller galleries can be temperamental about their schedules, especially outside summer.

Worth a visit if you're genuinely interested in contemporary regional work. Not a reason to plan your whole trip around, but a solid rainy afternoon option that costs you nothing.