Holy Cross Parish

The church sits quietly in Ilfracombe, a solid Victorian structure that most visitors pass without a second glance. But if you're staying at one of the nearby holiday parks - Hele Valley or Watermouth Valley are both minutes away - it's worth a brief stop, especially if you're interested in local heritage rather than soaring Gothic drama.

Holy Cross is straightforward Church of England fare from the 1800s, built when Ilfracombe was transitioning from fishing village to proper seaside resort. The interior is decent enough without being spectacular - some nice period features if you look closely, and it's genuinely quiet, which counts for something when you're surrounded by beach crowds and ice cream vans.

Really, this is a ten-minute diversion rather than a destination in itself. Families with young kids won't find much to hold their attention, and serious architecture hunters will want grander stuff. But if you're walking around Ilfracombe's town centre anyway - perhaps before heading to Tunnels Beach or one of the coastal walks - stepping inside gives you a sense of what the town looked like before the amusement arcades arrived.

Admission should be free, as with most parish churches, though do check locally. It fills a quiet slot on a rainy afternoon or if someone in your party fancies a bit of Victorian calm while others are at the arcade. The holiday parks nearby are excellent bases for a week of proper seaside exploration, and Holy Cross fits neatly into that picture - present if you want it, skippable if you don't.