Parish Church of St. James Wetherby

The Parish Church of St. James sits right in the heart of Wetherby, a proper medieval market town straddling the River Wharfe between Tadcaster and Leeds. The church itself is a handsome example of Perpendicular Gothic, all honey-coloured stone and tall windows that flood the interior with light. Step inside and you're surrounded by six centuries of local history - the kind of place where you can spend twenty minutes or two hours depending on how much you want to unpick.

What catches you first is the sheer verticality of it. The nave feels spacious without being cavernous, and there's genuine craft in the stonework and the slightly wonky timber roof. The church has weathered everything Yorkshire's climate could throw at it, and you can see the wear in places - which somehow makes it feel more real than the over-restored alternatives you get elsewhere.

It's the sort of visit that suits anyone with a passing interest in medieval architecture or local history, though families with restless kids might find it less engaging than a castle with space to run about. Allow twenty minutes for a proper look, longer if you're reading all the brass plaques and memorial stones.

Wetherby itself is worth a wander - proper little market town with decent cafes and pubs - and it sits well within a broader Yorkshire churches trail. If you're based at Wighill Park Glamping just four miles away, the church makes for a straightforward morning out before heading back to your park for lunch.