Kitkcudbright Tollbooth

The old tollbooth in Kirkcudbright now serves as a proper art gallery, housed in what was once the town's control point for road tolls. It's a compact space - you're not talking about a sprawling museum here - but it punches above its weight with rotating exhibitions of contemporary and local work. The stone building itself, right in the heart of the town, is worth a look even if the current show doesn't grab you.

Artists and anyone interested in the Scottish art scene will find it worthwhile. Families with young kids might spend twenty minutes max, unless there's a particular exhibition on. Allow an hour if you're genuinely interested; you can easily combine it with a wander round Kirkcudbright's high street, which has decent cafes and independent shops.

The gallery's free to enter - no surprises there - and it's open most days, though hours do shift seasonally. Best to ring ahead or check locally when you arrive. If you're staying at Silver Craigs Campsite, barely a third of a mile away, it's an obvious spot to duck into on a damp afternoon. Seaward Holiday Park, just under two miles down the road, puts you close enough for a quick visit without feeling obligatory.

Kirkcudbright itself has bags of character - it's been an artist colony for decades - so treat the tollbooth as part of the bigger picture rather than a destination in itself. Worth the stop, but don't expect it to consume your afternoon.