Champing at St Mary the Virgin Church - a unique place to stay in Kent
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As we made our way through the churchyard and towards the church itself it was strange, yet exciting to think that this was where we would be spending the night. My little boy raced ahead eager to see what was inside. We followed him, sleeping bags in hand, into St Mary the Virgin Church to set up for the night.

Now you may not have heard of church camping or Champing as it’s better known before but it’s something I’d highly recommend for a unique overnight experience. If like me you aren’t a massive fan of camping then this is definitely the next best thing! It combined my love of exploring historic buildings with the kids sense of adventure and was something completely different to anywhere we had ever stayed before.

St Mary the Virgin Church is a small historic church in the village of Fordwich – Britain’s smallest town. Set in a pretty church yard next to the river stour, it makes for a peaceful and restful stay – well if your kids allow it! The church dates from the Norman era and is grade I listed. During your stay the church is open to visitors but is all yours after 4 pm until 10am the next day.

The church mice (the lovely volunteers) will set up prior to your stay so that all you need to bring is bedding, some games to keep you entertained and perhaps the odd bottle of wine! Be warned the church has no heating so it can get quite chilly even in summer. However, we arrived on what had been a very warm day and didn’t find it too bad. If you are not so lucky there are lots of hot water bottles provided.