A REMOTE village high up on the North York Moors may not seem the most obvious of places for a contemporary art gallery.

But artists can be inspired by their surroundings – and so can those who come to look at their work.

So it is little surprise that the Inspired by... gallery high up on the Moors in the tiny village of Danby has proved such a hit.

The gallery turns 10 this year – and it now attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year, says curator Sally Ann Smith.

That’s 2,000 people a week. No mean feat for a gallery in a village and parish which boasts a population of a little more than 1,000 and which is 12 miles away from the nearest town of any size (that would be Whitby, in case you’re wondering).

But there’s no real secret to the gallery’s success. It’s a beautiful space, for a start – really a work of art in itself, says Sally Ann.

The North York Moors National Parks Authority, which runs the gallery already had a small exhibition space at the national park centre in Danby.

Exhibitions there were always well attended. “There’s a really strong local community of artists and craftspeople,” Sally Ann says.

So the decision was taken to expand into a fully-fledged art gallery. The old caretaker’s residence at what had once been a shooting lodge was expanded and opened up, and the garden covered over.

The result is a large, airy gallery with lovely green oak beams and no fewer than five separate hanging areas.

It’s the art that goes on display here that is the real winner, however. The gallery takes its name from the fact that it is, itself, inspired by the moorland setting in which it is situated.

The gallery stages 10 exhibitions a year, often featuring a range of artists (some just starting out, some locally established, some nationally and even internationally acclaimed) who approach the same theme using different techniques and materials.

And many of the exhibitions (though by no means all – the gallery does contemporary and cutting edge too) are inspired by the landscape, the seascape and the culture of this unique part of North Yorkshire: the wild moorland, the majestic coastland, the quiet sheltered dales.

The exhibitions are, in fact, a way of reinterpreting this wonderful landscape in a different way and for a different group of people than the hikers and outdoors enthusiasts who love the Moors, Sally Ann says.

Though of course you can be both. You can come to the Moors for the day, park at the visitor centre, go for a good brisk walk to fill your lungs with moorlands air, then come to the gallery to see some of those same landscapes interpreted in unique and individual ways through the eyes of different artists.

To mark its 10th birthday the gallery will be running a special Past and Present exhibition from next month.

It will bring together new work from many of the artists who have exhibited at the gallery over the past 10 years, as well as showcasing the work of others who will have their own exhibitions there in future.

There will also be new paintings by renowned Yorkshire-born artist Norman Ackroyd, thanks to a collaboration with Thirsk’s Zillah Bell gallery.

So if you’ve not been to Danby or the Inspired by... gallery before, the next few weeks might be the perfect time to pay a visit. Just check the weather first.

l Past and Present exhibition takes place from February 12 to March 13 at the Inspired by ... gallery, Danby. Entry free