For centuries, cathedrals stood tall across Britain’s towns and cities as strong focal points marking Christian life for visiting pilgrims and local communities in the area. Today, little has changed, but they also offer a quiet refuge for people of different faiths or no faith at all – a place for prayer and reflection. With the help of Microsoft AutoRoute we have selected ten of Britain’s most beautiful and historic buildings for you to enjoy as you trace back the history of each of these ecclesiastical and architectural masterpieces.

We begin our journey at one of England’s most famous cathedrals, Westminster Abbey (www.westminster-abbey.org). If you are lucky enough to snatch a quiet moment away from London’s masses beneath the vaulted Byzantine ceilings of Westminster’s "nave" you have done well. Aside from private prayer, the cathedral plays host to masses each day, including the Solemn Mass most evenings, when the intoxicating sounds of the Westminster Cathedral choir fill the air. Sir John Betjeman described its architecture as ‘never dull, never fussy’ and casting an eye to the skies, one can’t help agreeing as one marvels at the cathedral’s varieties of marble embedded in its mind-blowing mosaics.

Heading east from Westminster, we arrive at the site of another of London’s spiritual and iconic landmarks, St Paul’s Cathedral (www.stpauls.co.uk). Designed and brought to life by Sir Christopher Wren between 1675 and 1710, the current building was erected after its predecessor went up in smoke during the Great Fire of London. Dark crypts transport you back to the realms of the Medieval Age while continuing renovations and installations give the décor a chameleonic charm, breathing life into the walls of the city’s leading cathedral. Like Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s has also opened its doors to important services, including the commemoration of the victims of the 11th September 2001 bombings and the celebration of the birthdays of Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother.

Travelling beyond the hub of the city lights, we arrive under the cloisters of one of the most prestigious World Heritage Sites in Britain, Canterbury Cathedral (www.canterbury-cathedral.org). The building boasts a rich history which dates all the way back to 597AD, when St Augustine first established his seat (‘cathedra’) in Canterbury. One of the cathedral’s treasures is its vast stained glass windows which illustrate miracles and stories associated with St Thomas. These only come to life when pierced by light, a moment which is thought to be the purest manifestation of God’s presence.

Passing through the Dartford tunnel and orbiting briefly on the M25 propels us towards our next destination. Made out of flint, rubble, limestone and Barnack, Norwich’s pale cathedral (www.cathedral.org.uk) is no shrinking violet with a collection of over 1000 ‘roof bosses’, sculptures intricately carved out of medieval stone, which draw in crowds from across the country. Amongst the selection of biblical scenes, the representations of Noah and the scenes from the life of Christ are the most poignant.

Heading west past Cambridge and Rugby, we arrive at one of England’s less traditional ecclesiastical monuments, the new St Michael's Cathedral (www.stmichaelscathedral.com).). The building was designed by Basil Spence after he won a national competition in 1950 to restore Coventry Cathedral to its former glory. The cathedral’s modern design and unconventional spire sparked great controversy, though this has since faded as many flock to admire the large tapestry of Christ, designed by Graham Sutherland, and John Piper’s abstract stained glass window which dominates an entire wall with its stark primary coloured panes.

Shooting north past Sheffield and Leeds, we reach the city of York wherein lies the spectacular Minster (www.yorkminster.org). Its balcony affords some of the best views over the city’s cobbled streets and on a clear day the view stretches deep into the Yorkshire Wolds. Once you have conquered the steep ascent and survived the unsightly gargoyles which gawp at you from the stairwells, you can buy a personalised certificate hand inscribed by one of the cathedral’s calligraphers to testify that you made it to the summit.

South west of York, we stumble upon the medieval misericords at the Quire of Manchester’s cathedral (www.manchestercathedralonline.co.uk). These imaginative seat carvings depict a number of scenes: a man playing backgammon, a woman scolding her husband. Both are telling great moral stories through the wood grains of these ‘mercy’ seats. These amusing and intriguing moral carvings found beneath the cathedral’s pews are arguably some of the finest in Europe, dating from 1495-1506 and are well worth a stoop.

Due south and we are soon in Bath outside the Abbey (www.bathabbey.org), which boasts a congregation of several hundreds and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The Abbey’s Choir is noted for being one of the finest church choirs in Britain and the Abbey’s vaulting, stained glass windows and embroidery are enough to make you go weak at the knees.

South of the Avon estuary towards the southern coast and we reach Exeter. Its Cathedral (www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk) is steeped in a dark history; tarnished by tales of raucous market games, football and the stabbing of a bishop’s henchman who was murdered as he walked to the cathedral for the night service of matins. Today, however, the cathedral is better known for its Gothic vaulting, the longest and highest piece of ecclesiastical architecture in the world, a magical 15th century astronomical clock and its intricately carved West Front image screen.

Heading back to where our journey began, we make a final stop at Winchester, the former capital of England in the 10th and 11th centuries. Winchester Cathedral (www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk) is another building which exudes spirituality and tranquillity, and its grandeur lends itself well to the discipline of praying. The choir stalls are elaborately carved, while the Chantry Chapel beckons you outside to muse over Jane Austen’s grave and the illuminations of the city’s 12th century Bible.