St Margaret Of Antioch's Church Cley

The flint-faced church sits slightly inland from Cley's shingle beach, a 14th-century structure that feels properly Norfolk - all flint and flattened stone with a tower that's visible for miles across the marshes. Inside, it's surprisingly spacious, with a hammerbeam roof that's worth the neck-crane and some decent monuments if you're into that sort of thing. The churchyard itself is atmospheric, especially on an overcast afternoon when the wind's coming off the marshes. Most visitors spend twenty minutes to half an hour here, which is about right - it's not a cathedral, but it repays a proper look.

Cley itself is walker territory. The village sprawls along a coastal road between Holt and the shingle bank, and St Margaret's sits at its heart as the focus point. If you're staying at Kelling Heath Holiday Park or one of the other caravan sites nearby - all within five miles - you'll find this church makes a natural stop on a coastal ramble. The real draw is combining it with a walk to the beach or over toward Cley Marshes, where the birdwatching is excellent. Families with younger kids might find the church itself a bit of a pause point rather than a destination, though the churchyard's got space to let them run about.

Access appears to be standard church hours, and admission is typically free, though you might want to check locally with the Holt information centre. The light here is lovely in late afternoon - if you're timing a visit, that's when to come.