The Wantley Dragon

The Wantley Dragon is a gallery space in South Yorkshire that draws from one of England's more peculiar folk tales - that of a fearsome dragon that once terrorised the Derbyshire-Yorkshire borderlands. Rather than a museum of stuffed creatures, this is a working gallery where local and regional artists exhibit their work, often drawing inspiration from the region's folklore and industrial heritage.

What you'll find here depends entirely on what's showing during your visit. The space itself is intimate rather than sprawling, which means you won't spend hours getting lost, but you could easily lose an afternoon if an exhibition grabs you. It's the sort of place where someone might stumble across a piece that properly speaks to them - photography, sculpture, painting, installations. The kind of gallery that still feels rooted in its community rather than desperately chasing London tastes.

It appeals most to people with a genuine interest in contemporary art and regional culture. If you're camping at one of the nearby sites - Greensprings, East Peak, or Boots and Bubbles all sit within easy driving distance - it's worth checking online before you visit to see what's on. A visit might take anything from forty minutes to two hours depending on your pace and what's displayed.

Sheffield's just a stone's throw away, so you could easily combine this with visits to the city's own galleries or a walk in the Peak District. The landscape around here is proper striking, especially if you time it right in early autumn.