St John the Evangelist Countisbury

Perched above Lynton on the Devon coast, St John the Evangelist is a small stone church that catches most visitors off guard. You'd walk straight past it if you weren't looking - that's rather the point. The interior is modest, whitewashed walls and simple wooden pews, but step outside and you're standing at one of the most dramatic cliff-edge positions in the whole county.

The real draw here is the walk. Getting to it means a proper climb from Lynton, with narrow lanes and steep gradients that'll make your legs know about it. Not one for the very young or anyone with mobility issues, but fell walkers and coastal enthusiasts will find the effort worthwhile. The views across the Bristol Channel are tremendous - on a clear day you can see Wales - and the sense of being genuinely remote despite being minutes from a holiday park is exactly what draws people to this corner of Devon.

Don't expect much time inside the church itself. Twenty minutes tops, unless you're really into ecclesiastical architecture. The appeal is the location, the solitude, and the walk itself. If you're staying at Lynmouth Holiday Retreat, it's a cracking morning's outing before breakfast. The church seems to be open most daylight hours, though nothing's formal about it - just turn up.

Worth doing if you're hiking the area anyway. Less worth planning a special trip for unless dramatic coastal walks are your thing.