St Stephens, Lansdown

The church sits high on Lansdown, that steep hill just north of Bath where the air clears and the city falls away below you. St Stephen's is a proper Victorian rebuild - all proper stone and serious windows - but what matters is the position. You're standing at over 700 feet, looking south across the Avon valley, and the church itself feels like an afterthought to the view.

Inside, it's all polished wood and decent stained glass, the kind of church that rewards a quiet ten minutes but won't hold you for longer unless you're genuinely into ecclesiastical architecture. The real draw is the walk up. If you're staying at Bath Mill Lodge Retreat down in the valley, this is a cracking afternoon climb - steep in places, no two ways about it, and the last stretch tests your calves properly. Come in winter when the deciduous trees are bare and you can actually see through to the Cotswolds.

Historically it marks the site of a Civil War battle, which adds a bit of weight to standing there, though there's precious little to see of that now. Families with young children might find the climb frustrating for the payoff, but keen walkers heading through the Lansdown hills will pass right by it. Free to enter, needless to say. Allow half an hour if you're taking it seriously, fifteen minutes if you just want to tick the box and soak in the view. The nearby CAMPWELL FARM would make a decent base for exploring this whole area properly.