Saint James

The church sits right on the edge of Stratford-upon-Avon, a solid medieval building that most visitors walk straight past on their way to Shakespeare's house. That's their loss. Saint James is proper worth a quiet hour if you're camping nearby at Green Gates or The Apple Farm - both are within spitting distance - and you want something away from the tourist crush of the town centre.

Inside, it's all high ceilings and light streaming through old windows. The wooden roof timbers are genuinely impressive if you bother to look up, and there's a real sense of how many centuries of worship have happened in this space. The graveyard's worth a wander too, with some readable headstones going back generations.

Historically minded types will get more from it than kids, to be honest. There's no interactive stuff or explanations that'll hold younger attention for long. But if you're into church architecture or just need a bit of peace and quiet from the madness of Stratford's high street, it does the job brilliantly.

Assuming it's open - and most parish churches are during daylight hours - it's free to go in. You won't need more than forty minutes unless you're really into Victorian memorials or brass rubbings. Base yourself at Stratford Parks or Rayford a couple of miles out, do the Shakespeare pilgrimage during the day, then slip over here at dusk when the light's lovely and everyone else has gone to the pub.