Hinderclay Church, St Mary

The church sits quietly on the edge of Hinderclay, a few miles east of Diss, and St Mary is one of those places that stops you dead. This is a medieval parish church that's been standing since the 12th century, and you can feel the weight of it - not in a gloomy way, but in the solid flint walls and the sheer fact that people have been worshipping here for nearly a thousand years.

What makes St Mary worth the detour is the interior. The chancel is genuinely impressive, with decent medieval work that hasn't been mucked about with too heavily. There's a proper sense of age here without the heavy-handed restoration you get elsewhere. The windows catch light beautifully, and if you're into church architecture - the tracery, the stonework, the way it's all put together - you'll spend a good half hour picking through the details.

It's the sort of place that appeals to walkers tackling the Norfolk-Suffolk border country, or anyone serious about visiting medieval churches rather than tourist-trap ruins. Families will find it peaceful rather than thrilling - fair warning if you've got restless kids. The village itself is tiny, so this isn't a day-out destination on its own.

If you're camping at Arthur's Retreat just down the road, it's absolutely worth a quiet walk over. Free to visit, no faffing about with opening hours - just turn up. Allow thirty minutes to properly look around. East Anglia's full of these little churches, but this one genuinely rewards the stop.