St Swithun's Church

The church sits quietly in Lee-on-the-Solent, a solid Norman building that most visitors driving through miss entirely. St Swithun's is one of those places where you can actually feel the weight of centuries - the walls have seen everything from medieval pilgrims to World War II air raids, and it shows in the stonework.

Inside, the light filters through a mix of old and restored windows. The nave pulls you forward naturally, and there's a genuine sense of calm that has nothing to do with being told to be quiet. For history types, it's the sort of church worth spending twenty minutes with, reading the wall plaques and working out who's who. Kids will likely lose interest after that, unless you're the sort of family that enjoys a bit of architectural spotting.

It's free to visit during daylight hours (the usual church arrangement), and you can walk straight in most days. Allow thirty minutes if you're thorough, ten if you're just passing.

When you're based at one of the caravan parks on nearby Hayling Island or at The Spinney, St Swithun's makes an easy leg-stretch stop on the way to somewhere else - say, a walk along the Solent shoreline or heading into the New Forest. Don't plan a special trip for it, but if you're in Lee-on-the-Solent anyway, worth the detour.