William Langdon Woodward/Poacher Woodsman

The William Langdon Woodward Gallery, tucked away near Billericay, houses the work of a man who spent his life capturing rural Essex through paint and sculpture. Known locally as the Poacher Woodsman, Woodward was an artist-craftsman whose pieces reveal a genuine obsession with woodland life and the natural world - not the sanitised version you see in coffee table books, but the real, grubby stuff.

What you're looking at here are paintings, sketches, and carved pieces that feel more like field notes than gallery work. There's an honesty to it. If you're the type who walks through galleries nodding politely at abstract installations, you might find this refreshingly straightforward. Family groups with children interested in nature and wildlife will get more from it than most, particularly if you can tie it to a woodland walk in the area.

The admission details remain a bit vague - contact ahead to confirm opening hours and whether there's a charge. Allow 45 minutes to an hour, though you could stretch it to two if you're genuinely interested in his work and want to chat with whoever's on duty.

Coupled with a stay at Barleylands Campsite just down the road, it makes for a decent rainy-day diversion during an Essex camping holiday. Don't expect crowds. You won't get them. But if woodland art and local history are your thing, it's worth the detour from Billericay.