Notgrove Church

The approach to Notgrove Church is deceptively ordinary - you'll drive past farms and stone walls, wondering if you've taken a wrong turn. Then you round the corner and there it is, a modest Norman church sitting quietly in its own little corner of the Cotswolds, looking much as it probably did in the 12th century.

Inside, the real interest reveals itself. The church contains some genuinely good medieval wall paintings, faded though they are, and the sort of intimate details that make rural Cotswold churches worth seeking out. The chancel arch is proper Norman work, solid and unadorned. There's a tranquility here that you won't find in the tourist-heavy churches of nearby Bourton-on-the-Water - it's the kind of place where you're genuinely alone with the architecture.

Historically-minded visitors will find more to occupy them than families with young children, who'll likely exhaust the interior's appeal within ten minutes. The churchyard itself is pleasant enough for a wander, with old headstones and that particular silence you get in rural burial grounds.

Access appears straightforward - it's in the village of Notgrove itself - though I'd recommend checking locally if you're planning a specific visit, as opening hours aren't reliably published. It's perfectly positioned as a quiet stop-off between Bourton-on-the-Water and the quieter parts of the Cotswolds if you're based at the caravan club site nearby. Not a destination in itself, but well worth the detour if you're exploring the area.