Churches
Cathole Cave walk, Gower
This 5.7-mile circular walk takes you from the Gower Heritage Centre in Parkmill to Cathole Rock cave, returning via Pengwern Common, the pretty village of Ilston and the wooded valley of Ilston Cwm.
St Martha's Hill, Surrey walk
Leave the medieval streets of Guildford on foot, discovering the surprising isolation of a hill once traversed by pilgrims on their journeys across southern England
Britain's most beautiful country churches
Britain's peaceful rural churches are steeped in holy history and can be fascinating places to visit. Our guide to the UK's best countryside churches delves into their history and design, as well as local walks that incorporate these historic buildings.
Walk: Clare, Pentlow and Cavendish, Suffolk and Essex
Set out on a winter’s hike through the Stour Valley on the Suffolk-Essex border, discovering a trio of churches, each with their own fascinating history
Walk: Glenfinnan, Highland
Seek refuge from the cold inside one of Scotland’s most majestic churches, then venture into the Highlands past the wizards’ railway to a lonely mountain pass
Day out: St Mary's East Somerton, Norfolk
An evil witch left the walls of St Mary’s impaled by a huge oak tree – or perhaps it was the less foreboding work of a stockpiling squirrel? Either way, nature now dominates the medieval ruin
Walk: Mwnt, Ceredigion
Surrounded by hill, sand and sea on the Ceredigion coast in Wales is a small, white-walled church, at its most magical on Christmas Eve
Day out: Heptonstall, West Yorkshire
Historic Heptonstall has a hilltop view over West Yorkshire’s snow-dusted fields. Amble along its cobbled alleyways, pause in its church, then warm up by a fire at a local inn
Day out: Brentor, Devon
This famous medieval church is the fourth smallest in England. It is also the highest, and comes with
its very own legend
Walk: Tideswell, Derbyshire
Take a winter wander from Tideswell’s ‘Cathedral of the Peak’ into the depths of Miller’s Dale and Monk’s Dale in the Peak District National Park
Day out: St Catherine’s Oratory, Isle of Wight
If it wasn’t for a boat-full of wine, the iconic tower of St Catherine’s Oratory – nicknamed the ‘pepperpot’ by Isle of Wight locals – may never have been built
Day out: Chapel Stile, Cumbria
Holy Trinity Church is built on the northern flank of the dramatic Great Langdale valley in the Lake District National Park; pause beneath its stained-glass tapestry then head for the glory of the fells
Walk: Osmotherley, North Yorkshire
Stride out on the Lyke Wake walk as it follows the ancient journey of the dead across the North York Moors National Park, starting and finishing in the village of Osmotherley