St Sabinus church, Woolacombe

The small stone church sits just back from Woolacombe's seafront, easy to miss if you're rushing between the beach and the high street. St Sabinus is genuinely old - medieval foundations, though what you see now has been rebuilt and restored more times than you'd expect for a village church. The interior is modest but genuine, with the kind of worn flagstones and simple fixtures that tell you generations of locals have actually worshipped here rather than visited for Instagram.

It's worth a quick look if you're staying at one of the nearby holiday parks like Golden Sands or Woolacombe Bay - you won't need more than twenty minutes unless you're really into church architecture. The churchyard itself is pleasant enough for a wander, and kids might find it interesting as a proper break from the beach. The location means you can easily combine it with a walk around the village or a coffee stop before heading back to the sand.

Don't expect elaborate decoration or dramatic history lessons - this is a working parish church, not a tourist attraction dressed up as one. That's rather the point. If you're the type who likes understanding how ordinary people lived in a place, St Sabinus gives you a genuine glimpse of Woolacombe beyond the holiday resort veneer. It's free to look around, though opening hours aren't always predictable for smaller churches, so pop in when you happen to be passing rather than planning a specific visit.