St Margaret, Hawes

The parish church of St Margaret sits right in the middle of Hawes, the market town at the heart of Wensleydale. It's a solid, no-nonsense building - medieval at its core but rebuilt substantially in the Victorian era, which means the interior is clean and bright rather than dark and atmospheric.

Inside, the real draw is the window glass. There's some decent Victorian stained glass and the light floods through properly, which makes a change from those gloomy northern churches where you squint at plaques for twenty minutes. The stone work is honest rather than elaborate. You're looking at a working parish church, not a tourist attraction trying to be something grand.

HistoryBuffs will appreciate the medieval bones underneath the 1800s renovation - the tower's genuinely old - but don't come expecting ornate carvings or crypts. This is a place where locals actually worship. It takes maybe thirty minutes to have a proper look around, longer if you're the type to read every inscription.

It's free to wander in during daylight hours, and it breaks up a walk around Hawes nicely. If you're staying at Usha Gap Farm & Campsite just outside town, it's a straightforward stroll to pop in. The church sits on the main street, impossible to miss. Pair it with the Wensleydale Creamery up the road - you'll get culture and cheese in one morning, which is about as efficient as a Yorkshire day trip gets.