St. Mary and All Saints Church

The church sits on the edge of Cambridge's sprawl, and frankly, it's worth the short detour from the city centre if you've got an hour spare. St. Mary and All Saints is a proper medieval structure - the sort of place where you can actually feel the weight of centuries rather than just read about it on a plaque.

The interior is surprisingly substantial. High ceilings, decent stained glass, and enough architectural detail to keep anyone interested in medieval churches occupied for a good while. You'll find the sort of memorials and monuments that tell you more about local life than any guidebook could manage. It's not a showstopper like King's College Chapel, but that's partly the appeal - fewer tourists, more breathing room.

This works well if you're camping at one of the nearby spots like Roseberry Tourist Park or Cuckoo Fen Campsite, both within walking distance. You could easily combine it with a morning in Cambridge proper without it feeling forced. Allow 45 minutes if you're just having a look round, longer if you're the type who reads every inscription.

Free to enter, as most parish churches are. Best visited on a weekday morning when you won't be dodging school groups. Not one for fidgety children, but older kids or anyone with genuine curiosity about English churches will find it worthwhile. The real draw here is that it feels like an actual working church rather than a museum piece.