St Nicholas

The church sits just outside York, a proper medieval affair that's easy to overlook if you're rushing between the city centre and the surrounding countryside. St Nicholas is one of those places that rewards the slight detour - the stonework alone tells you this building has serious history, with enough Norman and later additions to keep architecture enthusiasts busy for a good half hour.

Inside, you'll find decent medieval glass and some solid memorials that give you a real sense of who mattered in this part of Yorkshire centuries ago. It's not the showstopper that some of the bigger city churches are, but that's rather the point. You get the space mostly to yourself, time to actually look properly instead of queuing with fifty other visitors.

Historyheads and anyone interested in medieval church architecture will find it worthwhile. Families with young children might find an hour is plenty - there's not a great deal of interactive stuff, and kids tend to get restless in quiet churches. The walk from York itself is manageable if you're based at one of the nearby parks like The Hideaway at Baxby Manor, just half a mile away, or York Meadows if you're after something larger.

Best approached as part of a wider exploration of York's medieval quarters rather than a destination in itself. Head here on a quiet afternoon when the light's decent and you can actually see the windows properly. No entry fee that I'm aware of, and you can usually get in without faffing about with opening hours.