The Red Gecko

The Red Gecko sits just outside Grasmere, a gallery space that punches above its weight if you're after something beyond the usual tourist circuit. It's a working studio and exhibition venue rolled into one, the sort of place where you can actually watch artists at it rather than just gawp at finished pieces behind velvet ropes.

The gallery focuses on contemporary work - paintings, sculptures, prints - with a real emphasis on local and emerging talent. It's the kind of spot where the owner will chat your ear off about what's on the walls if you let them, which beats a sterile audio guide any day. Depending on what's showing, you might spend twenty minutes or a couple of hours here. There's no pretension to it, which is rather the point.

Families with older kids who can sit still for five minutes will get something out of it. Younger ones might find it a bit of a slog unless there's something particularly visual on. Artists and anyone serious about contemporary work should absolutely make the detour from Grasmere town centre.

It's handily placed if you're camping at Lakeside Retreat or any of the surrounding sites - close enough for an hour's browse without eating into your hiking time. Free entry would be the bet here, though it's worth checking ahead. The real value is that it's genuine, unpretentious, and a proper break from the relentless Lake District gift-shop culture. Go if you're genuinely interested in art. Skip it if you're just ticking boxes.