St Mary Magdalene's Church

The church sits on the edge of Bridgwater, a proper medieval structure that rewards a quiet wander round the churchyard. St Mary Magdalene's is the sort of place that makes you slow down - all stone walls and Gothic windows, the kind of building that's watched over the town for centuries. Inside, the nave stretches back with that particular cold-stone silence churches do, and there's enough decorative detail to keep you occupied for twenty minutes if you're into that sort of thing.

It works best for anyone who actually enjoys churches rather than ticking them off a list. History types will get something from it; families with restless kids will find it a bit quiet. Free to enter, no set hours that I could pin down, though as a functioning parish church it's obviously open for services. Allow thirty minutes if you're just passing through, longer if you're the type to read every memorial plaque.

If you're based at one of the nearby holiday parks - Burnham Holiday Village or Haven Burnham-on-Sea are both within five miles - this is handy as a rainy-afternoon detour while you're in Bridgwater anyway. Don't make it your main reason for visiting the area. The Levels around here have their own appeal, and the coast at Burnham-on-Sea is genuinely worth the drive, but St Mary Magdalene's is solid filler if the weather turns.