Saint James the Great, Hanslope

The church sits back from the village road in Hanslope, a proper Northamptonshire parish church with a broach spire that catches the light from miles around. Saint James the Great is the sort of place you stumble into by accident while wandering the lanes north of Milton Keynes, and it repays the detour.

Inside, there's decent medieval work - a 14th-century font, some decent brasses if you're into that sort of thing. The chancel's been mucked about with over the centuries in the usual way, but the bones of the place are good. It's a working parish church, so you'll find it open most days, though best to check locally before making the trip.

This isn't a destination attraction by itself - you're not clearing an afternoon here. But if you're staying at The Home Farm CL just down the road, it makes a pleasant forty-minute walk through decent countryside. The spire itself is worth photographing from the approach, and the churchyard's quiet enough for a sit-down with a flask. History buffs will appreciate the medieval fabric, but families with young children won't find much to hold attention beyond ten minutes.

The village itself is unremarkable - a few houses, a pub if you're lucky - so this works best as part of a walking route rather than a specific destination. It's the sort of place that reminds you why the English countryside still matters.