Kings Mission

The church sits quietly on the outskirts of Dunstable, one of those places you'd miss if you weren't looking for it. Kings Mission is a straightforward Victorian-era place of worship with solid brick walls and the sort of no-nonsense architecture that characterises rural Buckinghamshire churches. Inside, it's modest but genuine - a working parish church rather than a tourist attraction done up for visitors.

This isn't somewhere to schedule a two-hour visit. Twenty minutes gives you enough to appreciate the interior and perhaps read the notice board if you're into local history. The real appeal is for anyone staying at the nearby camping parks - Merlin Farm is just over two miles away, and it's the sort of spot walkers naturally pass on the way from Whipsnade Zoo or the Chiltern hills. Dunstable itself is close enough that you could combine a church visit with a proper walk or a pub lunch without much faffing about.

It's free to visit, naturally. Check what time services run if you're planning to look inside, as opening hours aren't reliably posted online. Church enthusiasts will find it interesting as an example of Victorian parish building, but families with young children won't find much to engage them beyond ten minutes. The surrounding countryside is the real draw here - the church is just a pleasant waypoint if you're already walking the area from one of those caravan sites.