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"Oooh! Champing!"

15/9/2016

10 Comments

 
We went Champing! Uhh, what is Champing? It’s camping . . . in a church! Sounds amazing (apart from the terrible portmanteau) and it is amazing!
Church porch
Your room for the night . . . Church of St Mary the Virgin in Fordwich, Kent.
The deal is, you book a church through this website, much like you might book a B&B. It’s £55 per person per night (discounts for larger groups and repeat bookings, currently free for kids to the end of the season). You have the church all to yourself/yourselves. The fee gets you camp beds, water, tea and coffee making facilities, camp chairs with cushions and blankets, electric candles, lanterns and access to a loo. Oh, and one of the more unique bedrooms you’re likely to experience in an average year.
camp beds and window
A trial bedroom setup in Albury. Too breezy.
bed in church
Cosy between the pews in Fordwich.
We found out about Champing when we were in Suffolk with our friends and we decided to give it a go. It seemed like a fun idea for a night away, a bit more interesting than the usual accommodation fare and a bit more appealing to those who aren’t too keen on braving the elements under a tarp or in a tent.  Most of the Champing churches are in the South East, but they’re starting to spread. The churches are no longer in use for services and such things.
Bed
Snuggling down at Fordwich. We didn't really need all that bedding! (NB: First time reading Swallows and Amazons - I haven't seen the new film, yet.)
Our first Champing adventure was back in June at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Fordwich, near Canterbury in Kent. Fordwich is a pretty little village (actually Britain’s smallest town) on the River Stour. Our venue still had the feel of an old village church in use, with quite a few displays around the place.
camp chairs around a small table
Chairs, blankets and cushions all set up around a little coffee table in Fordwich. You can see the water filter in the background.
Aside: After our night in Fordwich, I went for a wild swim in the Stour upstream of Canterbury. It was brisk!
Person in river
Sitting on an underwater ledge, waiting to acclimatise to the chilly, fast-flowing river. This was a great treat.
We enjoyed our time in Fordwich, and we decided to try another church. We booked a date in September to visit Old St Peter and St Paul’s Church, which sits on a private estate near Albury in Surrey (that’s the church I’m reviewing below). This building had a different feel - emptier, more spacious, lighter, more regal, more austere.
Dome steepled church in morning sun
Morning at Old St Peter and St Paul's Church in Albury, Surrey.
One of the lovely things about these churches is that they are open to the public until the evening. When we arrived at both churches, we got to talk to other visitors about what we were doing. As you might expect, reponses ranged from envy and excitement to, “Isn’t it a bit . . . creepy?” and, “Rather you than me!” Generally, though, everyone was intrigued with the idea and agreed it was a good way for the Churches Conservation Trust to bring in a bit more money to help preserve these old buildings. “Oooh, Champing!” was usually the last thing we heard as visitors wandered off across the churchyard.
church with chairs
What a gorgeous sight to come 'home' to!
stained glass window
One of the windows in Albury.
I was impressed with both of our Champing churches, though Albury might just be my favourite of the two. The Champing team sent all the info we needed pre-arrival and everything was set up in the church before we got there. All we had to do get out our pillows and sleeping bags, decide where to put the camp beds, unpack our snacks and drinks, switch on the electric candles, then talk and play board games into the night.
two coloured glass windows
The huge window at St Peter and St Paul's was stunning, as was the whole richly decorated South Chapel.
In the morning, you get breakfast, usually at a nearby pub or cafe. We had a bit of a disaster with the first place, which no longer provides the breakfasts at Fordwich (despite confirming beforehand, they had no idea how to cater for three vegetarians and a vegan) but the hotel in Albury was OK (although they only had dairy milk for drinks, alas). All in all, it's a pretty novel experience and comfort levels are somewhere between camping and glamping. I'd recommend it for families and groups of friends who want to try something a bit different.
Manor house in morning sun
The church at Albury was on a private estate. This was our view on the way to the loo. I liked the golden morning sun on the chimneys.
"Oooh! Champing!"

Year of Sleeping Variously: Champing edition

Two camp beds with sleeping gear in a large church
We didn't end up sleeping in this location. But it was the lightest place to get a good photo!
  • Bed (3/5) - They supply camp beds, we added our Thermarests, sleeping bags and pillows. The camp beds are quite comfy, but not so good for snuggling up to another person (there's a gap!).
  • Room (5/5) - OK, so there are no wardrobes, chests of drawers or couches. But It is a pretty special bedroom!
  • View (3/5) - Gorgeous windows (but too high to see out of from inside) and a landscaped estate beyond.
  • Facilities (3/5) - It's a step up from campsite camping, with water, tea and coffee provided. They have "ChampLavs" - dry separating compost loos - but no showers or running water.
  • Location (3/5) - Pretty nice, yeah.
  • People (5/5) - Of course - can't fault the company of good friends!
  • Food (3/5) - We went shopping for supplies at Waitrose, so our snacks were top notch. Cooked breakfast at The Drummond at Albury was average, though I'm sure if you're a meat eater you'll have more variety.
  • Value (3/5) - This is a hard one. I'm averaging this out over the two stays - we got a breakfast refund on the first stay due to the food mix-up and a discount on the second stay because we were return Champers. At full price it's £55 per person per night, and I think four people could get better value for £220 per night.
  • Uniqueness (5/5) - On the other hand, you are unlikely to get a more unique bedroom, no matter how much you fork out!
  • That indefinable something (3/5) - A few bats came out and flitted around during the night, and I love bats! They added some excitement to the peaceful atmosphere. I enjoyed padding across the stone floor in the night to go to the loo, and waking up with the birds calling outside.

Champing verdict: 72%

Previous Year of Sleeping Variously posts: 
tarp on a hill; B&B in a town; tent in a garden; holiday cottage on a farm; tent at a campsite; cabin by a canal; budget hotel.

Have you been Champing? Would you like to try it? If you've got any questions about our experiences, leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.

10 Comments
Allysse Riordan link
16/9/2016 12:07:40 pm

I've been intrigued with the idea ever since you've mentioned it. The more I think about it, the more I want to do it. There's something quite exciting about sleeping in a church and being allowed in a place at night where you (or at least I) wouldn't normally be granted access to in the middle of the night.
I'll definitely give it a go once I have this job thing sorted out.

Reply
Jonathan link
16/9/2016 07:30:17 pm

I thoroughly recommend it! In fact, I was just thinking today that it would actually work out a pretty good deal for a solo traveller, too - £55 including breakfast, tea/coffee isn't so bad. And how amazing would it be to have the whole place to yourself? Then again, sharing things is also very fun. You'll have to let us know if you do it!

Reply
Suz link
24/9/2016 06:42:31 am

This is a fantastic idea. Never heard of it but may just be the solution when there is no hostel nearby and it is too chilly for me to camp.

Reply
Jonathan link
24/9/2016 05:26:22 pm

I was thinking the same, Suz - how nice would it be after a long walk to rock up to a church set up just for you?!

Reply
Kate Jamieson link
24/9/2016 07:41:16 am

Part of me absolutely loves the idea of this, and part of me is freaked out at the idea of sleeping in a church! May look in to it for future though!

Reply
Jonathan link
24/9/2016 05:35:43 pm

I'm not the kind to be spooked by things I don't think exist (I find real humans scary enough!) but one of our co-Champers was a bit worried to start with. However, they must have been OK with it in the end - after all, we went twice! I think the best plan is to go with a few other people for cosiness and moral support. And board games.

Reply
Ashley Beolens link
24/9/2016 08:15:30 am

I'd not heard of champing till now, it sounds interesting, I imagine old churches would be quite spooky, but also incredible. Does sound quite expensive for something that doesn't sound as comfortable as say a youth hostel but I guess if the money helps keep the old buildings in a good state it's not too much.

Reply
Jonathan link
24/9/2016 05:46:51 pm

It's a unique experience and (I think) worth the £ to try it once if you can afford it. It's definitely more exciting than a hostel! For one person, I think it's pretty reasonable, but when you end up with several folks all paying £55 it becomes properly expensive.

Reply
Clare link
12/10/2016 07:27:47 pm

I absolutely love the idea and actually looked into having a go a while back, however the cost put me off.
Great for something a bit different though.

Reply
Jonathan link
18/10/2016 06:47:50 pm

Keep an eye out for when they have specials on for kids (they had free kids for their end of season this year) - would make it more reasonable for your family! It's great.

Reply



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