Holy Rood Church, Buckland Newton

The stone church sits quietly in the village of Buckland Newton, a few miles north of Dorchester, and it's the sort of place you'd walk past if you weren't paying attention - which would be a shame. Holy Rood Church is a proper medieval structure with enough character to reward a proper look inside.

You're looking at a 13th-century building, though it's been mended and altered plenty of times since then. The interior is genuinely interesting if you care about church architecture - decent windows, some decent memorials, and the kind of peaceful atmosphere that medieval churches do better than anywhere else. It's not flashy or crowded.

This works well as a gentle wander during a park holiday. If you're staying at Giants Head Caravan & Camping Park just down the road, it's a proper short drive or even a decent walk through the lanes if you're up for it. Green Valley Yurts sits a bit further afield but still within easy reach for a morning visit before heading elsewhere. The village itself is quiet - no facilities to speak of, but that's rather the point.

Give it thirty minutes, forty-five if you're the type to read every inscription. It won't thrill anyone after that, and kids will likely get restless unless they're genuinely into old churches. But if you're passing through Dorset and want a moment of calm history without the crowds of a bigger cathedral, this does the job well. Free to visit, I'd expect, though you may want to check ahead - contact details can be tricky with smaller village churches.