St Mary's Hickling

The flint church of St Mary's sits alone in the Norfolk landscape near Hickling, about fifteen miles east of Norwich. It's a proper medieval structure, all flint and brick with that distinctive tower you'll spot across the flat marshland well before you arrive. Once you're inside, the timber roof does most of the talking - it's genuinely impressive, with carved bosses and a span that feels almost too grand for such a small village. The pews are ancient, worn smooth by centuries of Norfolk farmers and their families. You won't find much in the way of visitor facilities or crowds here, which is rather the point. This is a working parish church, not a tourist attraction dressed up as one.

History enthusiasts will appreciate the medieval detail and the sheer isolation of the place. Walkers passing through the Norfolk Broads area should definitely make the detour - it's less than two miles from Hickling Campsite and the walk itself across the marshland is worth doing. Families with older children might enjoy the quiet, though there's no playground nonsense and little to occupy under-tens for long. Allow twenty minutes to an hour depending on how much you want to sit and absorb the atmosphere.

Admission is free (assuming the church is open, which these rural Norfolk parishes usually are during daylight). The surrounding landscape - flat, waterlogged, properly wild - is as much the draw as the building itself. If you're camping at any of the local parks, Golden Beach or Waxham Sands, this makes a genuine morning or late-afternoon wander. Don't come expecting village amenities. Come because you want to see something authentic and old, standing where it's stood for seven hundred years.