We’re delighted to offer you Champing at St Barnabas Church from the heart of Queen Camel village in south Somerset. This is a very active community church with regular services and activities. Before you book a Champing stay for a Wednesday or Saturday night please note:

**Sunday service** starts at 9:15am on every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month  – you’re very welcome to join in, just make sure you’re not still in your pj’s! If you book a Saturday night stay on these weekends and do not wish to participate in the service, we kindly ask that you depart from the church by 8.45am.

**Bellringing** practice evening is often, but not always, on Wednesday’s at 7:30pm – have a listen to the bells in action here. The bells also chime every quarter of the hour too, so you’ll hear them throughout your stay!

Key Features of St Barnabas Church

* Kitchenette with sink, microwave, toaster, crockery & cutlery
* Accessible flushing toilets inside the church
* Interesting architecture and features
* Dog friendly
* Walkers and cyclists welcome
* Wildlife haven in the churchyard
*Bedding not available as an add on, please bring your own

Situated between Glastonbury and Yeovil, 1hrs drive from Bristol Airport and just off the A303, Queen Camel easily connects to a wealth of historic landmarks locally, including Stonehenge at around 40 minutes drive away. It’s also close to the mainline stations at Sherborne and Castle Cary and conveniently has a bus stop on the road next to the church. For a more leisurely adventure follow in the footsteps of John Leland and his 16th century survey of South Somerset and stop for the night at St Barnabas on your way along the Leland Trail.

Queen Camel is a thriving community with a shop, café, pub, and pottery. It’s a lovely location to explore with plenty of historical sites nearby. You can wander back in time and approach the west gate along a cobbled stone path built at the same time as the church rebuild, leading you along rows of picturesque stone cottages. Like the cottages, the church is built from local Blue Lias stone, and dressed in Hamstone, a Jurassic limestone also from Somerset.

First mentioned in 1291, then extensively rebuilt during the 14th and 15th centuries, this Grade I listed building has an impressive rood screen, octagonal font (c1400), a magnificent eagle lectern, a fine barrelled roof embossed with 35 bosses, and a pulpit (c1480) to marvel at.

The tower (c1380) is the only one in Somerset to have been built in five stage to an impressive height of 96ft. Attracting bellringers from all across the country, it also houses the heaviest peal of six bells in the world weighing a total of 6.011 tonnes!

Extending their warm welcome to all, the community at St Barnabas have created a wildlife haven by installing all kinds of bird boxes, bug hotels, and hedgehog homes! They have also planted to encourage insects and left sections of the churchyard unmown for wild flowers to flourish. And inside the church they have switched to LED bulbs as part of their commitment to being as environmentally-friendly as possible.

Leland Trail – a delightful walking route through the rolling hills of South Somerset from Alfred`s Tower near Stourhead House and Gardens to Stoke sub Hamdon following the route of John Leland in his 16th century survey of Britain passes through Queen Camel. Click here for more information.

Haynes Motor Museum – the prestigious museum at Sparkford housing a collection of over 400 cars and motorbikes as well other automobilia is located 1 mile from the village. Click here for more information.

Yeovilton Fleet Air Arm Museum – the National Museum of the Royal Navy, containing one of the largest collections of historic Royal Navy aircraft dating back over the past 100 years, just 3 miles away. Click here for more information.

Cadbury Camp – an Iron Age Hill Fort with stunning views towards the Somerset Levels and Mendip Hills is 3 miles from the church by road or 2 miles along footpaths.

Sherborne – situated 7 miles south of Queen Camel and nestling in green valleys and wooded hills, Sherborne is without doubt one of the most beautiful towns in England with the magnificent Abbey which has Saxon origins and a Castle built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594.