The Greek Orthodox Church of St. Charalambos

You won't find many Greek Orthodox churches in rural Hertfordshire, which makes St. Charalambos rather a surprise when you stumble across it near St Albans. It's a working church serving the Greek community, and the interior is a proper feast of religious art - all those intricate icons, candles, and the smell of incense that hits you as soon as you walk through the doors.

The architecture itself is nothing fancy from the outside, but step inside and you're transported somewhere else entirely. The iconostasis - that's the icon screen that dominates Orthodox churches - is genuinely striking. If you're into religious architecture or curious about different Christian traditions, it's worth an hour of your time. Families might find kids get restless unless they're genuinely interested in the subject, but older children who are studying world religions could find it educational.

The catch is you'll need to check ahead - opening hours aren't widely advertised, and you should really ring first or catch a service if you want to guarantee entry. Respect matters here; it's an active place of worship, not a museum.

If you're based at Woodlands Caravan and Motorhome Touring Site just down the road, it makes a decent half-morning diversion before heading into St Albans itself, where the cathedral and the town's medieval streets will keep you occupied for the rest of the day. Don't go out of your way if you're just passing through, but if you're staying locally, the cultural oddity of finding Byzantine Christianity in Hertfordshire is oddly compelling.