A top class art gallery in the middle of nowhere - what's not to like?! Hauser & Wirth is a…read moreleading gallery for contemporary and modern art with well established outlets in Zurich, London, New York and LA. I love the fact that they took over an old farm in Somerset and turned it into an oasis of calm and beauty. The current exhibition by Pipilotti Rist (till Feb 2015) alone is worth the trip. One of her video and sound installations is presented in a big room where visitors are asked to take off their shoes and settle on one of the fluffy sheep skins dotted around the floor - the most comfortable exhibition I have ever visited! There's also a lovely shop with local artisan products and a restaurant/bar - enough to keep you busy for most of the day.

The Brook Gallery, tucked around the corner from the sea-front at Budleigh Salterton in East Devon,…read moreis an asset hereabouts and, through its wesbite, much further afield too. Concentrating on original prints, it has over the years brought some of the most exciting and distinguished images to this lovely town. I've always found the people at the Brook friendly, informed and committed to their part of the art market. Go there to just look: there's no hard-sell. Go there to buy and I've found the prices reasonable and the works well worth it.

From the owner: Brook Gallery specialises in Original Print, and represents some of the most influential artists in…read morethe UK today. Beautifully presented, collectable artwork that you love to live with, incorporating everything from historical treasures to modern masterpieces.

This is a gorgeous art gallery/shop in Beer, on the Devon coast…read more Beer is a lovely little fishing village, relatively untouched by mass tourism (it's too difficult to access for big bus loads). The pebble beach is idyllic, and you can watch fishing boats coming back with their catch - which they also sell there and then. Back to the gallery: they have 2 outlets in the village, the Steam Gallery and the Marine House. Both display work from local artists, and the quality is very high (so are some prices). We found the most exquisite hand blown glass pieces, which would not be out of place in the most expensive shops in London. Beer itself is worth a visit for its quaint, quiet and authentic atmosphere; and whilst you are there, these two artshops should be on your list.

The Steam Gallery in the pretty East Devon fishing village of Beer is a good place to browse for…read moregifts or that special treat for yourself. The gallery is housed in several rooms on the ground floor of what was once a house. It is the sister gallery to Marine House, which is situated further down the road towards the sea. The Steam Gallery has less traditional paintings than Marine House, although there is plenty on the walls often the emphasis is on sculpture and 3 dimensional work. Last time I visited there was a lot of glass sculpture on display, and there is usually jewellery and pottery too. Original artwork by local artists.

With Cowbridge being the most affluent town in South Wales, and possibly the entire country, it…read morecomes as no surprise that they have a couple of galleries, despite being a small market town. This is the more conventional of the two in that it is curated by the owners and displays an ever-changing stream of work by local and internationally acclaimed artists. The other, Sue McDonagh Artist Studio & Gallery, as the name suggests, is a personal endeavour on the part of the artist-owner Sue McDonagh. I appreciate both galleries immensely., and feel tat they enrich the creative wealth of the town considerably. These galleries, coupled with the fact that there are a wealth of artisans working in the town also, means that the cultural heritage of the town is assured. The price tags accompanying the work regularly exhibited here can be hefty, but with a good selection of prints, which you can either self-frame, or draw on the services of the gallery, and their expertise in this field, there is an eminently affordable means of putting something fine on your walls.

It's such a shame that Kingfisher gallery is closed on a Sunday because it's exactly the kind of…read moreplace you'd stroll around on a lazy day out in Cowbridge. Still, it's a great little gallery that stocks paintings and sculptures by local and well established artists. If you don't have the budget of a collector, fear not because some prints are available to buy which make excellent gifts. The atmosphere is laid back and welcoming and the space itself has great light (which is sort of what you want in a gallery). There isn't a great deal of edgy/modern pieces (don't expect to see a dismembered doll or a Banksy) but if you like the gentle classics you'll love it here.