St Andrew's Church, Dent

The church dominates Dent's main street like it's always owned the place - and it has, more or less, since medieval times. St Andrew's is a proper fell-country church, all solid stone and no-nonsense Yorkshire character, with a tower that's visible for miles across the valley. Inside, it's refreshingly unpretentious: flagstone floors, whitewashed walls, and the sort of light that makes you squint when you first walk in from outside.

Walkers doing the Dales trails stop here regularly, and they're right to. You get a real sense of what mattered to people in these villages - the church was both spiritual anchor and community hub, still is if you catch a service. The churchyard is worth a wander too; proper old stones weathered grey, some so worn you can't read the names anymore.

Historically-minded visitors will appreciate the medieval architecture, though be honest: it's not spectacular or over-restored. There's no café, no gift shop, no faffing about. Free to wander in during daylight hours, and you should allow twenty minutes inside, longer if you're taking photographs or checking the gravestones.

If you're camping at Philpin Farm Campsite nearby, Dent makes an easy afternoon detour. The village itself is charming enough - proper Dales settlement with a working community - and the church anchors a walk down to the cobbled main street. Come early morning or late afternoon when the light sits properly on that stone.