STILL trying to find something a bit different among all the crowded High Street shelves? Why not go to a gallery or museum? Not just for the pleasure of it - though it's probably a good idea to give yourself a nice de-stressing half-hour in the middle of the Christmas rush - but because museum shops tend to have goods that are definitely different, everything from stocking fillers to specialist items.

Granted - with the exception of Beamish, which is vast - most museum shops are small and don't carry huge ranges. You also have to fight your way through the trays of stripey rubbers and nasty plastic key rings. But you can find some gems.

Remember, even when there is an admission charge for the museum, entrance to shops is FREE and there is usually plenty of parking nearby.

All local museums should be worth a visit but to give you a flavour we've checked out a few.

BOWES MUSEUM, Barnard Castle

Open: seven days a week

Parking: Plentiful and free.

For children there are lots of stocking fillers...maze pens, pop guns, magic balloon kits, fairy tale books.

Other gifts include wonderfully luxurious velvet scarves (£64) and bags (£41). We liked the small white and gold cushions embroidered with mottos such as "Money is the root of all evil and women need roots". There are plenty of pot pourri, hankies, embroidery kits featuring the museum's famous silver swan, some very nice hand-made jewellery, and little decorated boxes featuring pictures of the museum, £10.99.

There are copies of Elijah Yeoman photographs, prints of some of the museum's pictures, including a landscape by Josephine Bowes and a Canaletto of Venice, and a good selection of books, including some on Durham, quilts, local people and Barnard Castle.

Our favourites: Marvellous plates that on display look like finest Sevres porcelain from the Wallace Collection. In fact, they are tin copies at £4 each. Great fun to display or show off - at a better class of barbecue, of course.

KIRKLEATHAM OLD HALL MUSEUM, Redcar

Open: Daily but not Mondays.

Parking: plentiful and free.

This is where you can buy gold, frankincense and myrrh - how traditional can you get? The frankincense and myrrh come in oils and incense sticks, the gold in soap. There's a range of bath products and room scents, plenty of children's small toys and stocking fillers and some nice Christmas novelties. And a good range of up-market and unusual Christmas cards.

Good selection of local books, covering everything from the lifeboats, to the ironstone industry and the Pierrots of the Yorkshire Coast, plus smaller books of local memories.

Lots of toys and games, a £30 book on Meccano for serious grown-up aficionados, and a great selection of fossils, including some that are natural works of art.

Our favourites: The selection of copies of old railway posters. Pure nostalgia. But, outside an artist's imagination, did Redcar ever really look that?

LAING ART GALLERY, NEWCASTLE

Open: Daily. Mon-Sat 10-5; Sun 2-5.

Parking: Cheap multi-storey just round the corner. Other parking in central Newcastle, but you'll have to pay.

Laing is a friendly welcoming gallery, just on the edge of the city centre by the famous - or infamous - blue pavement. At first the shop seems to sell only art books and artists' materials, but be tempted in further, up the steps to the inner shop and it's vastly different - lots of cases full of glass, ceramics, jewellery and all sorts of interesting things for sale.

The aim, says the Laing, is to provide a showcase for the best of local design and also to bring to Newcastle items that are normally seen only in London galleries.

Local glass makers include Jane Charles. Each piece is free blown in 24 per cent lead glass and then polished, sand-blasted and engraved. Each product is unique. Prices range from about £40. David Fry, who is based not far away in Blackswan Courtyard in Newcastle, spent many years studying ceramics in Japan and China. His beautiful bowls start at £70. From much further afield are exquisite lacquered photograph albums from Vietnam, really unusual and £18.99

Our favourites: Items by Boo Designs. Artist Rebecca Shurrock uses photographic images in Perspex. Sounds a bit odd, but the results are wonderfully light and attractive items that are very affordable - place mats for £5.95, four drink mats for £9.99. Thing is, they look so nice, you don't want to hide them with a plate...

THE WORLD OF JAMES HERRIOT, THIRSK

Open: Daily 10am-5pm.

Parking: Free parking outside and nearby. Can get busy, but we've always been lucky.

Lots of things of a country animal nature here, everything from wool fat soap to very upmarket feeding bowls for dogs and cats. Also strong on picnics - some very nice picnic hampers, cleverly designed as backpacks, and a good range of waterproof picnic rugs that roll up nice and neatly.

For the authentic country look, this is where you can buy your tweed hat or flat cap.

Lots of books and videos of the Herriot series, of course, including all of his children's books, not so well-known. There are some fun mugs covered in animal pictures and punning messages, and a special limited edition teapot, made by the Teapottery of Leyburn, designed to look like the vet's desk.

Our favourites: Some very attractive prints of local scenes, from £12.50. And the bonus is that they provide a free gift-wrapping service.

NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM, YORK

Open: Daily10am-6pm.

Parking: plenty nearby, but why not use the park and ride?

This is a train lover's heaven and seems to have improved since we were last there. Everything from inexplicable books full of wheels and diagrams for true train buffs, to Thomas the Tank Engine flags and puzzles for tinies. Hornby railway sets, masses of videos and books on every obscure railway line you've ever heard of. Train spotter books from the 1940s and 1850s, T-shirts and sweatshirts featuring The Mallard, Hornby train sets, squeaky train toys, old railway signs, whistles, badges for station master and porter, enamel signs about lavatories or not spitting, or the behaviour of taxi drivers.

There's a brilliant selection of old railway posters, which have terrific appeal way beyond trains.

Our favourites: Surprisingly, some of the prints and photographs of old steam trains in action. They look magnificent and make you think maybe train spotters aren't so sad after all.

* If you're trying your local museum, please check first as some may close early for Christmas.

OOOPS!

We recently told you about the Woodland Trusts' scheme to dedicate a tree in someone's name for £10. And, apologies, we gave the wrong number. The right one (and I've checked it again) is 0800 026 9650. Gives a new meaning to the phrase Christmas Tree, doesn't it?

Published: 14/12/01