St. Martin's Church

St. Martin's Church sits in Highbridge, a modest Somerset town that most people drive through without a second glance. But it's worth stopping for, particularly if you're camping nearby at Mill Farm or one of the other sites dotted around the area.

The church itself is a proper medieval structure with all the hallmarks you'd expect - stone walls, ancient glass, that particular smell of old wood and stone that never quite leaves your clothes. The interior rewards a quiet half-hour of poking about. There's genuine history here, though the exact dates slip my mind and the place doesn't exactly advertise itself with information boards.

If you're with kids, they'll manage twenty minutes before restlessness sets in. Walkers and history types will get more out of it, especially if you combine it with a stroll around Highbridge itself. It's the kind of stop that breaks up a holiday nicely when you're based at one of the caravan parks - Mill Farm is practically on the doorstep, and it's far enough from Haven Doniford Bay or Golden Sands if you fancy a proper walk into town.

Going early or late afternoon beats the middle of the day. Admission appears to be free, which is just as it should be. It won't change your life, but it's exactly the sort of local church that makes for proper English travel - the kind you stumble upon, spend twenty minutes in the cool quiet, and remember far longer than you'd expect.