Discover Downham

The church at Downham is one of those rare Norfolk landmarks that genuinely justifies the drive out from Wisbech. You're looking at a properly medieval building - the sort of place where you can actually feel the centuries pressing down on you, not just read about them on a laminated board.

What strikes you first is the tower. It's squat, sturdy, and has survived everything Norfolk's weather and history have thrown at it. Inside, the space opens up in that particular way of old churches - high ceilings, unexpected side chapels, and light falling through windows that haven't changed much in centuries. The monuments and brasses scattered about tell proper stories if you take time to read them. You'll find yourself stopping longer than you expected.

Walkers should definitely make the detour. It's not a major museum with set hours and admission fees - more a working parish church you can generally visit - but that's rather the point. There's no entrance queue, no gift shop pressure. Just you and the building.

Families with older kids who aren't allergic to history will get something from it. Younger children might find twenty minutes enough. Allow a good half-hour if you're actually reading the memorials rather than just glancing about.

If you're based at Westerby Farm Camping and Glamping just down the road, Downham makes a proper morning's walking expedition. The flat Norfolk countryside gets under your skin in ways grander tourist attractions simply don't.