St Peter ad Vincula

The church sits quietly on the hillside above Ilfracombe, its name - St Peter ad Vincula, or St Peter in Chains - a reminder of centuries past. It's a proper working parish church, the kind you'd stumble upon while walking the coastal paths rather than actively hunt down, but worth knowing about if you're staying at Watermouth Valley Camping Park nearby.

Inside, there's medieval stonework and the sort of worn pews that tell you generations have sat here. The views back towards Ilfracombe and the coast are decent enough, though you're not coming for a spectacle - you're coming for the quiet and the sense of place. Most visitors are local or passing ramblers; it's not on the tourist circuit in the way bigger Devon churches are.

It'll take you twenty minutes to look around properly, longer if you're into church architecture and want to read the plaques. Free to enter, naturally. The real appeal is as a gentle pause during a longer walk - the North Devon coastal path runs nearby, and Watermouth Valley is only a couple of miles south, making it an easy addition to a day out. If you're exploring the Ilfracombe area with kids, they'll get bored quickly, but for anyone who likes old churches and doesn't mind wandering off the main road, it's worth the detour. Go on a clear day when you can actually see the coast from outside.