Prestonkirk Church

The kirk sits just outside Dunbar, a proper little 12th-century structure that catches you off guard with how much character it's got packed into such a small footprint. Inside, the whitewashed walls and simple stone work feel genuinely ancient - no fancy Victorian fiddling about, just honest medieval building. There's a real sense of people having worshipped here for nearly nine hundred years, which does something to you when you step through the door.

It's the sort of place that appeals most to history types and anyone with an interest in Scottish ecclesiastical architecture. You won't need more than thirty minutes here unless you're the sort who likes to sit quietly and take in the atmosphere - which, frankly, is rather the point of a church like this. The churchyard's worth a wander too, with its scatter of older gravestones.

Getting there is straightforward from Dunbar, and if you're based at Belhaven Bay Caravan Park just down the road, it's an easy detour on a walk or a quick drive. Don't expect tea and toilets or any of that - this is very much a working village church, not a tourist attraction with all the trimmings. Free to visit, and there's something rather refreshing about that in this day and age. Best visited on a clear day when the light comes through properly, and avoid Sunday mornings if you're just curious rather than keen to join a service.