Towednack Church

The little church sits on a hillside near Breja, surrounded by moorland and not much else - which is rather the point. Towednack Church is the sort of place you stumble upon while walking the coastal paths around St. Ives, and it's worth the detour if you're into old Cornish architecture and don't mind a bit of a trek.

It's a small, medieval parish church with a proper local feel - the kind where you might be the only visitor on a given afternoon. The building itself is unpretentious: whitewashed walls, a modest bell tower, and that austere beauty you find in Cornish churches that haven't been over-restored. Inside, there's decent carved woodwork and the usual furnishings, but honestly, the main draw is the walk to get there and the sense of being out on the moors rather than any single architectural showstopper.

Allow 45 minutes to an hour if you're combining it with a walk in the area - this isn't a destination you'd drive miles for on its own. The church is free to visit, as most parish churches are, though opening hours depend on the mood of the local keyholder. If you're staying at Polmanter or St. Ives Holiday Village nearby, it makes a nice morning ramble. History types and walkers will get more out of it than families after an obvious attraction. Go for the landscape and the quiet, not because there's anything spectacular inside.