St Mary's Church, Runwell

The church sits on a slight rise overlooking Runwell village, its tower visible for miles across the Essex flatlands. St Mary's is a solid, no-nonsense parish church with genuine medieval bones - the kind of place where you can actually feel the centuries rather than just read about them on a plaque.

Inside, the real appeal is the architecture itself. There's decent medieval stonework, and if you time it right when the light's coming through properly, the interior has real character. The churchyard's worth a wander too - old graves, trees, that particular quiet you only get in places like this.

Historically minded visitors will get the most from it, particularly those interested in how ordinary parish churches evolved across centuries rather than the grand cathedral circuit. It's not flashy, which is rather the point.

The village itself is tiny, so you're not looking at a long detour if you're based at either Stuarts Wood Campsite or Barleylands Campsite, both within easy reach. From Ingatestone, it's a straightforward drive. Allow twenty minutes to half an hour to properly look around inside and the churchyard.

Free to visit, naturally. No gift shop, no visitor centre - just a working church that lets people in. On a clear day you can stand outside and see why someone built a church here in the first place. Not a destination in itself, but well worth the stop if you're exploring rural Essex.