Wooden Dragonfly

The Wooden Dragonfly is a gallery tucked away in Oxfordshire that trades in contemporary craft and art - the sort of place you stumble upon and wonder how you'd missed it before. It's small enough to feel intimate but serious about what it shows, with work that actually rewards a proper look rather than a quick scroll past.

The gallery itself occupies a converted space with real character. You'll find sculpture, jewellery, textiles and paintings from established makers and emerging artists, all with that handmade integrity that gallery owners actually care about. It's not a vast collection - you can take it in within an hour or so - but that's rather the point. Quality over volume.

This appeals to anyone who cares about objects: artists themselves, collectors, people who can't walk past a piece of jewellery without stopping, designers hunting for ideas. Kids might fidget unless they're genuinely into craft. Worth timing your visit with a walk around Wantage, which sits just down the road and has enough cafes and independent shops to make a proper morning of it.

If you're staying at Evelyns Garden Glamping, the four-and-a-half-mile distance makes this a manageable outing without feeling like you've driven for hours just to see a gallery. Rain or shine, it's the sort of place where you're likely to leave having learned something about a maker you'd not come across before.