St Leonard

The church of St Leonard in Horncastle is one of those solid, unshowy medieval buildings that rewards a proper look. It's not flashy - the exterior is honest rather than ornate, stone and straightforward - but step inside and you'll find yourself in a space that's genuinely worth twenty minutes of your time.

What catches you first is the scale. The nave opens up with an easy, light feeling, helped by clerestory windows that actually let the Lincolnshire daylight flood through. There's some decent medieval stonework if you look up, and the usual complement of Victorian restoration work that most parish churches around here have had done. The fixtures and fittings are typical for a working Anglican church, nothing that'll make you gasp, but everything speaks of centuries of use.

This is really for people who get something from old church architecture and the accumulated history of a place. Kids will need about five minutes before wanting to move on. Walkers exploring Horncastle itself might add it to a town loop - it's central enough to fit in without backtracking.

Access appears to be standard for English parish churches, though calling ahead is wise if you're planning a specific visit. It's free, as most are. The nearby Lincolnshire Glamping and Oxcombe Campsite offer proper bases for exploring the area, and you can easily work St Leonard into a morning wander around Horncastle's Georgian streets before heading out to the surrounding countryside.