Whistlefish Salcombe

The gallery sits right in Salcombe's harbour-facing stretch, impossible to miss if you're wandering the waterfront. Whistlefish specialises in contemporary art - mostly paintings and sculptures with a lean towards abstract and figurative work, though the stock rotates. The space itself is compact but well-lit, and you'll spend anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour depending on how much the current exhibition grabs you. Some visitors find it worth a proper look; others breeze through in ten minutes flat. It's one of those places that works brilliantly if there's an artist on show whose work you already know, or if you're the type who enjoys stumbling into galleries during a seaside wander. Free to look around, which is how it should be. The real draw is less about Whistlefish being a must-do and more about it fitting naturally into a morning or afternoon spent exploring Salcombe's town centre - grab a coffee, check out the independent shops, pop into the gallery if something catches your eye. If you're camping at Wilton Farm or Karrageen, both a few miles out, Salcombe itself makes for a decent half-day trip. The harbour's the genuine star turn though - the gallery's simply a pleasant add-on if you've got twenty minutes spare and it's raining. Kids won't thank you for dragging them inside, but adults travelling with a partner might appreciate the excuse to duck out of the wind.