St Mary and St Lawrence Great Waltham Church

The church sits in the heart of Great Waltham, a few miles east of Braintree, and it's genuinely one of those places that rewards a stop if you're driving through Essex. St Mary and St Lawrence is a proper medieval building - the sort of parish church that's been watching over the same village for centuries without making a fuss about it. The interior is surprisingly handsome for a small rural church: decent monuments, some decent stained glass, and that particular smell of old stone and polish that you either love or find a bit melancholy. If you're into church architecture, the chancel's worth a proper look. Kids will probably last ten minutes unless they're the type who like hunting for gargoyles and old graves.

The real appeal here isn't the church itself in isolation - it's the excuse to wander the village and get a feel for how Essex actually looks beyond the commuter belt. The churchyard is peaceful, the kind of place where you can properly breathe. Opening hours aren't fixed, so check ahead or try your luck on a weekday morning when someone's usually about.

If you're staying at Stocks Farm Camping nearby, this is a decent fifteen-minute drive to break up the day. Not a destination in itself, but if you're in the area already - perhaps exploring other Essex attractions - it's well worth the detour. Free to visit, no queue, and you'll have it nearly to yourself.