St. Mary the Virgin

St. Mary the Virgin sits in Heacham, a proper Norfolk village just outside King's Lynn where the landscape flattens out towards the coast. The church itself is a solid medieval affair with a tower that dominates the skyline for miles - the sort of place that would have guided merchants and fishermen back in the day. Inside, there's the usual mix of Victorian restoration and original stonework, though I'll be honest, unless you're seriously into ecclesiastical architecture, you won't need more than thirty minutes to look around.

Where this works well is as a walking break if you're staying at one of the holiday parks nearby - Parkdean Resorts Heacham Beach and Manor Park are barely a mile away, so it's an easy leg-stretch between the caravan and the beach. Heacham itself has enough of a high street to grab a coffee after, and the church does its job as a focal point for understanding how these coastal villages were organised historically. History types will find it worth fifteen minutes of poking about; families with restless kids should probably give it a miss unless you're passing.

The church is normally free to enter, as most Norfolk parish churches are. Go mid-morning on a weekday if you want peace and quiet - weekends can attract a small trickle of walkers. The real appeal here isn't the church itself but how it anchors a pleasant morning walk before heading back to the parks or down to the beach at Heacham proper.