Saint Matthew church, Lee

The church sits in the quiet village of Lee, a short drive inland from Woolacombe's beachfront chaos. Saint Matthew's is a modest affair - grey stone, straightforward Victorian architecture, the sort of place where you'll likely have the interior to yourself on a weekday afternoon. Inside, it's properly peaceful. Simple wooden pews, stained glass that catches the light nicely, and that particular smell of old churches - part damp stone, part furniture polish.

It's not a showstopper in the architectural stakes, but that's rather the point. This is the real Devon church experience, not a Instagram-bait ruin or a vast cathedral. You're looking at maybe twenty minutes inside, thirty if you're the type to read every memorial plaque.

Realistically, this works best as a quiet breather during a park holiday rather than a destination in itself. If you're camping at Golden Sands or Hele Valley and want an easy morning walk away from the caravan, Lee's close enough and genuinely pleasant. The village itself is tiny - a handful of cottages, a pub if you're lucky - so don't expect cafes or facilities. The walk from Woolacombe takes half an hour if you're not rushing.

Worth the detour? Only if you're after a bit of tranquility and enjoy poking around small country churches. Families with restless kids will get bored fast. But for a solitary wander or a couple seeking a quiet moment, it's exactly what the name suggests - a proper village church doing what village churches do.