All Saints' Church, Thurlestone

The churchyard sits right on the village green at Thurlestone, a fair walk from Kingsbridge but worth seeking out if you're staying at one of the nearby caravan parks. All Saints' is a proper medieval church - 15th century mostly - with that solid Devon stone look you see dotted across this corner of the county. The interior is surprisingly light, with decent stained glass and the usual mix of carved pews and monuments that tell you something about who mattered round here centuries ago.

It's the setting that gets you, though. The church commands views across to the coast, and on a clear day you can sense why people built something this substantial in what feels like the middle of nowhere. The churchyard itself is peaceful - proper graveyard wandering territory if you're into reading old headstones.

Really, this is one for the local history types and walkers doing the slow loop from Kingsbridge down towards the coast. Don't expect crowds or fancy facilities. There's no visitor centre, no café, no information board worth reading. But if you're based at Lower Terawhiti Farm or Karrageen just down the road, it makes for a gentle afternoon stroll combined with a pint at whatever pub survives in the village. Allow half an hour unless you're seriously into medieval architecture, in which case you might linger longer. Free entry, naturally - it's a working parish church, not a theme park.