Bethany Evangelical church

A modest red sandstone building on the edge of Dumfries, Bethany Evangelical Church is the kind of place most visitors drive past without noticing - which rather misses the point. It's a working church with genuine historical weight, not a museum piece, and if you're in the area you might find the doors open for a quiet look inside.

The church itself is straightforward Victorian evangelical architecture - nothing flashy, nothing that'll make you gasp. But there's something rather appealing about that plainness. You get a sense of what mattered to the congregation who built it: solid faith, honest construction, no frills. The interior is calm and uncluttered, which beats a lot of the overly restored churches you find scattered across the Lowlands.

This isn't a destination in itself. You won't need more than twenty minutes inside, and only then if you're genuinely interested in 19th-century religious architecture. But if you're based at one of the caravan sites nearby - Nunland Hillside Lodges is closest at less than four miles - and you're spending a few days exploring Dumfries and the surrounding countryside, it's worth a brief detour. Combine it with a walk into Dumfries town centre itself, which has far more to occupy you.

Check ahead with the church directly before turning up, as opening times seem inconsistent. Best approached as part of a larger wander rather than a standalone trip.