St Mary's Church, Lastingham

The reason to go inside is the double-aisled Norman crypt, laid out like a miniature church in its own right with nave, aisles, chancel and apse. It is low, dim and heavily built, with massive squat pillars and thick arches carrying a stone vault, and an altar under the curved apse. The crypt is associated with the shrine of St Cedd. Some carved stonework here and elsewhere in the building appears to be reused from earlier structures, and fragments of Saxon and possibly Roman-era carving are displayed in the church. Information is provided on site, so you can make sense of what you are looking at without a guide.

The church above is a Grade I listed building with a squat crenellated tower, a clock face, and an arched south doorway, set in a well-kept churchyard with mature trees. Inside, the broad outline was set out between the 11th and 13th centuries, the 12th-century Norman font survives, and the stone vaulted roof dates from restoration work in 1879. Because the building stands on a slope, the crypt is reached by a flight of steps down from the nave.

It is a short visit and there is no cafe, shop or visitor centre. The crypt steps and the sloping approach rule it out for some visitors, and the building is an active place of worship, so services, funerals or weddings can limit access and a low voice is appreciated. Combine it with a moors drive or walk rather than treating it as a destination in itself.