Champing - camping out in a church - (officially!)

Theexwife

I felt it was quite expensive, I looked into it five years ago, £80 per night sleeping in a drafty room with strangers and few facilities. I suppose you are paying for the experience which to me was just sleeping in an old building.

But you don’t, as Monica has pointed out, share with strangers. Your family/group have exclusive use.

On a related note, a few years back, we spent a night in a wonderful B&B in Fife which was a converted church. It was an amazing place. Lovely place to stay in - the conversion had been done really well. The village where I stay also has a fantastic children's nursery in what used to be one of the local churches.

I felt it was quite expensive, I looked into it five years ago, £80 per night sleeping in a drafty room with strangers and few facilities. I suppose you are paying for the experience which to me was just sleeping in an old building.

Its meant for families or friendship groups. It is not like a youth hostel or B&B, more like self catering accommodation, but only for a couple of nights. We are hoping to do it next year for a family holiday.

I've seen it but I don't think there is much privacy.. probably Ok if you're with a group of friends

Champing is organised by the charity The Churches Conservation Trust, which has in its care redudant churches of exception architectural, historical or archaeological interest and they run it in a range of their own churches.

I must say I have not heard of it happenng in 'operational' churches or churches other than those in the care of this charity.

I investigated this a few years ago as an option for our parish church.
We have water and a toilet but the organisation rolling the scheme out were useless.
Maybe they have got their act together now and I’ll have another go.

This reminds me of an occasion when I was 14. My church was losing a large amount of its lovely gardens because a road was being rerouted. My fellow guides and friends sought permission to camp in the gardens before the bulldozer arrived. Permission was granted. We were all very excited and then my parents vetoed me going. I was crestfallen and really cross as the others had a great time.