St Mary In Arden Church

The church sits quietly in the Northamptonshire countryside, a few miles from Market Harborough, and it's one of those places that rewards a proper potter about. St Mary in Arden is medieval through and through - the sort of building that makes you realise how much older England actually is than you tend to think about on a Tuesday afternoon.

Inside, you'll find the usual suspects: ancient stonework, memorial tablets on the walls telling stories of local families long gone, and that particular smell that only very old churches have - a bit like damp books and centuries. The tower's worth looking at from the outside if the light's right. It's not showy or grand, which is precisely why it works. No gift shop, no interpretive panels, just a church that's been doing its job since medieval times.

This appeals most to people who actually enjoy churches - the architecture types, the local history enthusiasts, walkers doing a longer ramble through the area. If you're after something to keep the kids entertained for hours, this isn't it. Twenty minutes, half an hour if you're genuinely interested in reading every inscription.

It's free to visit and there's something rather good about that. Park up nearby or slot it into a walking route. The surrounding countryside is gentle and proper English - exactly the sort of landscape that makes a rural holiday around Market Harborough work well. Several caravan and glamping sites are within a few miles if you're basing yourself here for a week.