St James the Great

The church sits quietly on the edge of Brackley, a solid medieval structure that rewards a proper look around if you're passing through the area. St James the Great has the sort of honest, working-class appeal you get from Northamptonshire churches - no fussy Victorian restoration, just honest stone and the weight of centuries.

Inside, there's genuine medieval work to spot: the chancel's worth standing in front of, and the windows tell their story if you've got five minutes. It's the kind of place where you can actually hear yourself think, which makes a change. Most visitors spend twenty minutes to half an hour here, longer if you're into the stonework and brass rubbings.

This works best for architecture enthusiasts and anyone doing the church-spotting circuit around East Midlands market towns. Kids will get bored fairly quickly unless they're the type who like hunting for gargoyles and old tombs. Admission is free, as with most parish churches - just turn up during daylight hours.

If you're camping at one of the Silverstone-area sites - Jubilee Barn, Silverstone Woodlands, or Hamilton Fields are all within a few miles - Brackley makes for a natural morning potter before heading to the motor racing circuit or exploring deeper into Northamptonshire's church-and-village landscape. It's not a destination in itself, but it's exactly the sort of place that makes English country touring worthwhile.