Blog Archives
Microadventure Recipes Food Outdoors Foraging Interviewing Books Reviews Travelling Walking
We went Champing! Uhh, what is Champing? It’s camping . . . in a church! Sounds amazing (apart from the terrible portmanteau) and it is amazing!
IN WHICH I
We went Champing! Uhh, what is Champing? It’s camping . . . in a church! Sounds amazing (apart from the terrible portmanteau) and it is amazing!

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.

A trial bedroom setup in Albury. Too breezy.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

What a gorgeous sight to come 'home' to!

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.

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.

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

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.

Our channel to channel trip included a few pretty long days of walking. One way of making a long walk more pleasant is to do some training. We didn’t do that. Instead, we opted for Option B: carry less stuff.

All our gear for 4.5 days.

Shoulder bag and camera: small load!

Pack lighter, go further

That’s the mantra of many ultralight hikers. The idea is that the less weight you carry, the easier it is to walk long distances. You’re less tired, less weighed down, less likely to injure yourself. And after this walk I’m inclined to agree (though having the money to convert to ultralight gear, or the desire to sleep in a half sleeping bag is another matter!). Although we could have done the long days with big packs, I think we would have been even more exhausted and much, much achier.

Our biggest weight saving came from staying in B&Bs every night. I figured that, with the exception of a few things, we only needed to pack what we’d usually take on a day walk. We didn’t need to bring any sleeping gear or shelter and most B&Bs provide soap, shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser and tea bags (though we packed some Earl Grey teabags, in case any B&Bs only had plain tea!). Because it was only four and a half days of walking, we embraced the stink and didn’t carry any extra clothes. We checked the weather and left our jumpers behind, deciding a t-shirt/shirt/raincoat combo would be warm enough. We also left our PJs out . . . rude! We relied on eating out or not being hungry most nights, so we usually only had to buy and carry snacks and lunch a day at a time. As we knew we’d be passing quite a few pubs and villages, there was no need for the trowel, toilet paper or much first aid. I figured the batteries on my camera and the dictaphone would last, so didn’t pack chargers or spares. In the end, we could easily fit all of our gear into one day pack (Dan) and one shoulder bag (Jonathan).

When it rained, I had to tie a knot in my shoulder strap to hitch my bag up under my coat. It worked OK.

Kit list

1 pair shorts (each)

1 long sleeved shirt (each)

1 t-shirt (Dan) / 1 thermal t-shirt (Jonathan)

2 sets underwear (each)

2 pairs socks (each)

Sun hat (each)

Raincoat (each)

Hiking boots (each)

Toothbrushes

Toothpaste

Deodorant

Sunscreen

Lip balm

A few bandaids

Paracetamol

2 x 600mL bottles of water

Water treatment drops

Thermos

2 x plastic cups

Small carton of UHT soya cream

6 x Earl Grey teabags

Snacks and light lunch when needed

Bank cards, tickets, cash

Itinerary and booking details

3 x OS maps (borrowed from the Ramblers map library - members only)

Journal and pen

Mini cassette recorder

Camera

Phone and charger

2 x hankies

Backpack (Dan) / shoulder bag (Jonathan)

Dry bag, plastic bags, ziplock bags

Thoughts on our gear

I found this review helpful after our walk across Wales last year, so I'm doing it again.

What didn’t we use? We didn’t use the water treatment drops. Although there was one day when we came close, in the end we just asked at a farmhouse to fill our bottles and they obliged - which actually made for a much more interesting experience. I didn’t really use my thermal top, though Dan wore his t-shirt. Because we had the voice recorder, I didn’t write very much in my little journal. We had a couple of teabags left at the end, too.

What did we appreciate most? Probably our biggest luxury was our daily thermos of tea. It’s not light, and the tea paraphernalia can get a bit bulky. However, a nice cuppa can make all the difference in a long day of walking - it can really pull you (read: me) out of a mid-afternoon slump. I also want to give big props to my shoulder bag - it’s a Stuffit Pram Bag, which a former boss of mine bought for me at a trade show. I love the wide shoulder strap, which spreads the load over my shoulder so that it never digs in.

What did we miss? I missed having a second, less stinky top - Dan wore his t-shirt to dinner in Honiton and when we socialised with our hosts after having showers. My thermal t-shirt doesn’t really work for that. Maybe next time I’d take a normal t-shirt or a short-sleeved shirt instead. Dan says he would’ve liked a set of undies and socks “just for evening wear”. How posh!

What did we not take and not miss? Jumper, thermal leggings, walking poles, waterproof trousers - pretty much anything not on the packing list and not mentioned above.

Rest stop! Once again, OS maps proved to be good makeshift groundsheets.

I swapped shoulders every hour or two.

Route map

Because no trip report is truly complete unless there’s a map! We started the walk at Budleigh Salterton, near Exmouth. We mostly followed the River Otter to its source in the Blackdown Hills. We dropped down into the Vale of Taunton Deane, then headed up onto the Quantocks for the majority of the last day. Finally, we more or less followed the Doniford Stream to Watchet.

An overview of our walk. The red circles indicate where we stayed overnight.

We didn’t follow any specific long distance route, though we ended up sharing the path with a good number of them at different points. I used my usual method for charting a course and booking accommodation and I was pretty happy with the route we took.

Zooming out to give those less familiar with UK geography a better idea of where we walked.

In terms of transport, we drove to Taunton and parked in the station car park. We took the train to Exmouth (I loved the section where the train line is so close to the edge of the River Exe that it seems to be travelling over the water) and a bus to Budleigh. At the other end, we took the bus from Watchet back to Taunton. This set-up worked well for us (apart from the terrible service from Buses of Somerset on the Watchet-Taunton leg). Thanks to Dan for organising transport! It was a simple thing to hop in the car back at Taunton and then head off to Wales.

Year of Sleeping Variously: B&B edition

Oh yeah! We're back on with this thing! So, over the course of our holiday, which included this walk, the canoeing trip, a day in Monmouth, a night in Malvern, a weekend in Birmingham and a few days in London, we slept at: 4 B&Bs (including one booked on Airbnb), 2 Airbnbs (the proper kind in a house), 2 campsites, 1 friend's house and Dan's folks' place. So there is plenty to choose from. For no particular reason, I'm reviewing Eastcote House in Honiton.

Comfy bed - just what you need after a long day of walking.

Bed (4/5) - Comfy. Nicer than it looks on the website or even in my picture.

Room (5/5) - We got a whole private sitting/lounge room alongside the bedroom. Fancy.

View (3/5) - A view out over the B&B's beautiful garden to the Blackdown Hills beyond.

Facilities (4/5) - No bath in the ensuite bathroom - that would have made it a 5!

Location (4/5) - It was a very good town location, up one end of the High Street. This made it a short walk to the supermarkets, shops and restaurants of Honiton.

People (4/5) - Friendly B&B types. Had a nice chat with Roger over breakfast.

Food (5/5) - Breakfast was delicious. Home made muesli and jams, raspberries picked fresh from the garden, cooked breakfast - yum!

Value (3/5) - Good value, especially considering the vast space we had to spread out in. I almost wished we were staying longer to take full advantage of it!

Uniqueness (2/5) - It's a pretty place with a lovely garden, but it's not terribly unique.

That indefinable something (2/5) - There was fruit and chocolate provided in our private sitting room along with the usual tea and biscuits. Not really related to the place, but we had a good dinner out with a friend in Honiton (which was an unexpected surprise).

​

B&B verdict: 72%.

Previously in our Year of Sleeping Variously: tarp on a hill; tent in a garden; holiday cottage on a farm; tent at a campsite; cabin by a canal; budget hotel.

If you've got any questions about our gear or our route, drop me a line in the comments. Also, I love snooping at a good kit list, so feel free to link to one of yours!