St Benets Minster Catholic Church

The red brick tower of St Benets is visible for miles across the Norfolk flatlands - which tells you something about how isolated this place really is. You're standing at the ruins of a medieval monastery that's been continuously used as a Catholic church since the 1950s, which makes it genuinely unusual. The Minster itself sits within the footprint of the old abbey, and the tower - all that survives from medieval times - dominates the landscape in a way that feels properly dramatic given how few trees are about.

What you actually get is a working church with serious history attached. The ruins scattered around tell the story of the Dissolution, though admittedly there isn't much left to photograph unless you're really into ecclesiastical archaeology. The real appeal is the sheer quietness of the place and the sense of standing in a location that mattered for centuries. It's the kind of spot where you can hear yourself think.

Historically-minded visitors and anyone interested in the Reformation will find genuine value here. Families with young kids might find twenty minutes is plenty - there's no visitor centre or facilities to speak of. It's free to visit, which helps. The surrounding countryside is flat and quite meditative if that's your thing, though calling it dramatic would be overselling it.

Based just outside Beccles, you're well positioned for the glamping options at Dawn Chorus Holidays or the campsite at The Wildings Elms Meadow if you're making a proper Norfolk trip of it. The church works best as part of a wider wander rather than a standalone destination.