St Mary's Church, Chilham

The square at Chilham is dominated by this flint-and-stone church, and it's genuinely one of those stops that makes you glad you took the back road rather than the motorway. St Mary's sits facing the village green with the kind of presence that demands a closer look - medieval, proper solid, the sort of building that's seen centuries pass without much fuss.

Inside, it's all vaulted ceilings and timber work, with enough monuments and brasses to keep history types occupied for a good hour. The chancel's particularly worth a look if you're into that period detail. The real draw, though, is simply sitting in the churchyard on a decent day - there's genuine peace to it, and you get decent views across the Kent countryside from the higher ground.

It's free to wander in during reasonable hours, though you'll want to check locally about specific opening times. Allow 30 to 45 minutes if you're having a proper look at the interior, less if you're just popping in to see the space.

If you're camping at Painters Farm or Dunn Street Farm - both just under six miles away - this works as a fine morning excursion before heading elsewhere. Faversham's close by if you need lunch or supplies. Families with older kids will get something from it; younger ones might fidget, truth be told. But if you're after authentic village architecture rather than the tourist-trap stuff, Chilham delivers.