St Mary's Church, Great Chart

The church sits on the edge of Great Chart, a few miles north of Bethersden, and if you're staying at Longberry Farm or Broadhembury down the road, it's a gentle walk worth making. St Mary's has been here since medieval times, though like most parish churches it's been tinkered with over the centuries. The interior is calm and honest - no over-the-top restoration work, which you either find refreshing or a bit underwhelming depending on your expectations.

Historically-minded visitors will spot the usual features: ancient font, brass plaques recording the dead, that particular smell of old stone and furniture polish. The building itself tells more of a story than any single object inside - the way the light comes through those tall windows, the worn flagstones where generations have walked. It takes about twenty minutes to look round properly, longer if you're the type to read every inscription.

Families staying at nearby Wildside Camping won't find this a thrilling hour for restless kids, but older children who've cottoned on to history will get something out of it. Go on a weekday morning when it's quiet - you'll actually hear yourself think. It costs nothing to step inside, though the opening hours aren't always obvious, so check locally when you arrive. The walk from any of the surrounding parks is easy enough, and it breaks up a day nicely if you're basing yourself in the area rather than treating it as a destination in its own right.