WALTHAM HOUSE ARTS AND WELLNESS STUDIOS

Just outside Bognor Regis, Waltham House Arts and Wellness Studios occupies a proper creative space where art and wellbeing fold into one another. It's a gallery, yes, but also somewhere you can actually do things - workshops, classes, that sort of setup - rather than simply walk around looking at other people's work.

The studios showcase contemporary art across rotating exhibitions while offering hands-on sessions in everything from painting to pottery to yoga. Real artists work here, which changes the energy entirely. You're not treading through a corporate white-cube space; you're in someone's actual working studio. The wellness side means you might catch a meditation class or wellness workshop running alongside the gallery proper.

This works brilliantly if you're staying at one of the nearby parks - Butlins is just under a mile away, and Haven Church Farm sits a few miles inland. It gives you something genuinely different from the usual seaside amusements, particularly if rainy weather drives you off the beach. Art enthusiasts and anyone wanting to actually participate rather than spectate will get the most from a visit. Families with older kids who aren't the "stare at paintings" type might find the workshop element more engaging.

Access and costs aren't entirely clear, so ring ahead before heading over - worth doing anyway to check what's on and whether sessions have space. Allow a couple of hours if you're combining a browse with a class. It's the sort of place that rewards a second visit once you've sussed what happens when.