St. Mary's Church

The church sits quietly in County Durham, a solid stone presence that's easy to walk past if you're not paying attention. St. Mary's has the sort of architectural bones that reward a proper look - proper medieval work, the kind of place where you can actually feel the weight of centuries in the stonework.

It's the sort of visit that appeals most to church enthusiasts and local history types rather than families after a day out. The interior's where it gets interesting if you're into that sort of thing - worth allowing twenty minutes or so to have a decent look around. Check ahead on opening times before you make the journey; these smaller churches can be temperamental about when they're actually accessible to visitors.

If you're based at one of the nearby caravan parks - Thorpe Farm Centre is barely over the road, or Teesdale Barnard Castle Campsite if you're after something a bit further out - this makes an easy leg-stretch from your holiday base. Barnard Castle itself is close enough for a proper morning or afternoon out, so you could combine a walk through the town with a stop here without overcomplicating things. Don't expect a major production; it's a quiet church in a quiet corner of Teesdale. That's rather the point.