Chirbury Church

The church sits in the village of Chirbury, a few miles south of Welshpool, and it's one of those medieval surprises that rewards the small detour off the main roads. What strikes you first is how well it's held together for a building that's been through centuries - the stonework is proper solid, and the interior has that hushed, slightly cold feeling you only get in old parish churches where the heating's been an afterthought for about 400 years.

Inside, there's genuine medieval craftsmanship. The font dates back ages, there are some decent roof timbers overhead, and the kind of memorials and brasses that tell you a lot about who mattered in this corner of Powys once upon a time. It's not enormous or elaborate, which is rather the point - this is a working village church, not a tourist spectacle.

You'll want to allow about twenty minutes if you're properly looking around, maybe half an hour if you're the type to read every inscription. It's free to visit, and the best time is during daylight when you can actually see what you're looking at. If you're based at one of the nearby caravan parks - Rhyd-Y-Groes is closest at under two miles - it makes a gentle morning walk worth taking. History enthusiasts and keen walkers will get the most from it, though families won't find it tedious if they're already in the area.

The Welshpool countryside round here is good for rambling, so slot it into a wider morning's exploration rather than treating it as a destination in itself.