Christ Church Parracombe

The church sits alone on a hillside above the village, which is rather the point of it. Christ Church Parracombe is a Victorian chapel built in 1879, all red sandstone and pointed arches, utterly unchanged since the day it opened. Step inside and you've genuinely stepped back in time - the original gas lamps still line the walls, the pews are worn smooth from a century of Sunday services, and there's barely been a modernisation in sight.

It's free to visit, though the doors aren't always open, so you're best ringing ahead or checking with Ilfracombe tourist information. Allow twenty minutes to have a proper look around, maybe thirty if you're into Victorian ecclesiastical architecture. The real draw here is the absolute authenticity - no central heating, no carpet, no electric lighting. If you want to see what a rural Devon church actually looked like in the 1880s, this is it.

History types will find it rewarding. Families with restless kids less so - there's not much to do once you've looked at the fixtures and fittings. Walkers should definitely call by if they're exploring the North Devon coast path; Ilfracombe is just a few miles away and makes a decent base for the area.

Stay at Longlands Devon or Lakeview Farmhouse, both within 3.5 miles, and you can easily string together a few proper Devon discoveries. The church is a lovely quiet moment between coastal walks and village exploration.