Christ Church

The Church of Ireland building that dominates Hillsborough's main square is a proper show-stopper - all Gothic Revival grandeur with a tower that catches your eye from halfway down the high street. Christ Church sits slap bang in the centre of things, which means you can't really miss it when you're wandering around town. Step inside and you'll find yourself in a fairly serious space with soaring ceilings and that particular quiet that only old churches manage. The architectural details are worth a proper look if you're into that sort of thing - ornate stonework, decent stained glass, the usual trappings of Victorian ecclesiastical confidence.

Historians and architecture enthusiasts will get more mileage out of a visit than casual tourists, to be honest. It's the kind of place where you spend twenty minutes taking it in rather than hours. Free to look around, as these things generally are, though opening times aren't always straightforward - best ring ahead or catch it when you're already in Hillsborough town centre.

Pair it with a walk around Hillsborough itself - the village green is proper charming - and it works well as part of a caravan park base at Lakeside View, just six miles out. That's manageable for an afternoon ramble into town if you've got the energy. Don't expect your kids to be fascinated beyond ten minutes, mind you, unless they're genuinely keen on ecclesiastical architecture.