10 most isolated churches you can visit around the UK

Fans of Call the Midwife may recognise this church on the largest of the Outer Hebrides from the programme’s 2019 Christmas special. But its true fame is as a splendid medieval building. It fell into disuse after the Reformation, eventually serving as a shelter for some rather privileged cows before restoration in the late 19th century. There are burial enclosures around the church and imposing tombs inside with intriguing carvings – and a couple of famously vulgar ones too!

If you have a head for heights you can climb the tower – be warned, you start with stone steps but progress to ladders – for fabulous views.

Perched on a knob of land at the very end of Rame Head peninsula, this chapel dedicated to St Michael the Archangel – like so many hilltop churches – is tiny but unmissable. If you’re heading west on the South West Coast Path, it’s quite a climb to visit it, but worth the effort.

Unsurprisingly, given its commanding views, the site was first that of an Iron Age hill fort. No one knows for sure when the chapel was built, but permission for it to be used for services was granted in 1397. It’s a simple but charming building, with slate and granite walls rising from the flattened earth and rock floor, several narrow windows and one larger one looking across to Plymouth. It may once have been whitewashed, but now the only embellishment is a small ledge by the larger window. It ceased to be used for worship early in the 20th century but its advantageous position, used as a lookout during the time of the Spanish Armada, was again made use of in WWII when a gun emplacement was built on the hilltop.

For centuries, Christian hermits sought solitude and sacrifice in the Farne Islands, which are scattered between two and three miles off the coast of Northumberland. The most famous, St Cuthbert – monk, bishop and alleged miracle-maker – stayed there from 687AD, living a life of such austerity he’d only open the window of his cell to bless visiting worshippers.

Relics from his time have all but disappeared, but visitors can still see the 13th-century chapel built in his name and maintained by the National Trust, with its spectacular stained glass and wood carvings. A wildlife haven, Inner Farne is also famous for its seabird colonies. In April, eider ducks, razorbills, guillemots and sandwich terns will start to arrive.

With sprawling views out across the tors and gorse of Dartmoor, St Michael de Rupe, or St Michael of the Rock, is England’s highest church. Standing 1,110 feet above sea level on an extinct volcanic cone and surrounded by the earthworks of an Iron Age hill fort, it was founded in 1130 but mostly dates from the 13th and 14th centuries. It’s thought to have been used as a beacon tower to spread word of enemies spotted out to sea (including during the time of the Spanish Armada) as it has good views of Plymouth Sound.

Eight hundred years later, St Michael remains a popular choice for Easter Sunday and Christmas Day services, and in summer for Evensong. But better arrive early – there’s only room for 40 people.

Still in use, this charming chapel stands squarely – literally – on the cliffs overlooking the Jurassic Coast. The corners of the building point north, east, south and west, and it’s set within a circular earthwork – perhaps from an early Christian enclosure.

It’s unusual for a church to be square, leading to speculation that it was built as a watchtower (there is evidence of a beacon on the roof ) but there are also records of payments to a chaplain here in the 13th century. Adding to the mystery, in 1957 a 13th-century grave was found nearby, as well as foundations of another much smaller but also square building. There is a large column in the centre to support the beautiful vaulted roof that makes the interior a mass of intriguing angles. Look out for 17th-century graffiti carved into the pillars – and if you want to make a wish, do as girls did back then and drop a hairpin into a hole in the central pillar.

Monk, thief, Knight of the Round Table – there are many myths surrounding the life of 6th-century Saint Govan. Legend has it that, while en route to Wales, he was attacked by pirates and forced to flee to the cliffside, which miraculously morphed into a secret cave where he could hide. Once his adversaries had left, Govan was overcome with gratitude to God so decided to remain in the cave, living off the land for the rest of his life.

Today a tiny limestone chapel measuring 20 by 12 feet marks the spot, consisting of two chambers and an altar under which Govan is said to be buried. It’s accessible from the clifftop by a set of stairs – be sure to count the number of steps on the way up and down, as it’s said they differ each time.

The arresting exterior of this medieval church with its weatherboarded tower and red-tiled roofs is just the start of its charms. Inside are beautiful box pews and wall paintings of religious texts. St Mary’s was sinking into a salt marsh but, thanks to the wonderfully named Friends of Friendless Churches, has been restored – revealing medieval murals along the way. This was not the first time remedial work had taken place.

The distinctive ‘skirt’ around the tower was added to steady it some time after the 14th century; about 400 years later the chancel collapsed and was rebuilt, with the addition over the east window of a trompe l’oeil showing curtains being drawn aside.

You need to keep your eyes peeled to spot this small, lonely church. There’s no village nearby – some suspect there may have been one but that it vanished after a plague – and although it’s not far from the road, All Saints is in a field and surrounded by oak and chestnut trees. It was probably first begun in the 1200s, with additions in the 14th and 19th centuries – a clue to its chequered past. It was in use until the Reformation, but by the next century was a ruin. Then in 1885 local land owners restored it, but it was finally declared redundant in the 1970s.

Now, it’s looked after by the Norfolk Churches Trust. The Victorian restorations resulted in a pleasingly plain interior, allowing the basic architecture to shine; however there is imitation medieval ironwork too – perhaps a reflection of the Victorians’ love of Gothic architecture.