Little Hill Church

The drive out to Little Hill Church feels like stepping back several centuries. This tiny medieval church sits quietly in the Leicestershire countryside, a proper contrast to Leicester's sprawl just a few miles south. What you're looking at is 14th-century stonework - the kind of place where you can actually run your hand along walls that have survived everything from the Wars of the Roses to the Industrial Revolution and come out completely unbothered.

Inside, it's intimate. There's no grand nave or soaring vault. Instead you get low ceilings, narrow windows, and the sort of peace that only comes when there aren't crowds. The church rewards close looking - medieval carvings, the bones of old roof timbers, maybe some decent stained glass depending on the light. It's the sort of visit that takes 20 minutes or an hour, depending on whether you've brought a history book.

This works brilliantly as a walking detour from either Holly Farm Fishery or Valley View Escapes, both within five miles. Families with an interest in actual history rather than theme parks will get more from it than most. If you're the type who drives past medieval churches thinking "might as well", you'll find it worth stopping for. Just check you can actually get in before making the journey - opening hours aren't guaranteed.