Church of St Peter and St Pauls

The Church of St Peter and St Pauls sits in Retford with the kind of solid, no-nonsense presence you'd expect from a proper Nottinghamshire parish church. It's a working church first and foremost - not a museum piece - so you'll need to check opening hours before you turn up, but the building itself rewards a proper look if you're into medieval architecture or just fancy a quiet moment away from the town centre.

What strikes you most is the sheer age of the place. This isn't some Victorian rebuild - there's real medieval stonework here, and the interior has that peaceful, slightly worn quality that comes from centuries of actual use rather than careful restoration. If you're walking through Retford and have twenty minutes spare, it's absolutely worth ducking inside. Families with older kids who can appreciate a bit of history will get something out of it; younger children will likely get bored within five minutes, to be honest.

The beauty of visiting while you're based at one of the nearby caravan parks - Olive Tree is closest at just under three miles, or Hallcroft Fishery if you prefer something with a bit more water-based activity - is that Retford itself is manageable and walkable. The church fits neatly into a morning potter round the town rather than being a destination in itself. Free admission, almost certainly, but do ring ahead to check they're open. It's the kind of place that closes for services and doesn't always keep regular hours.