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Explore more with Champing!

The journey of Champing started when a group of young adventurous Scouts asked to camp overnight in one of the churches cared for by The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT), the charity caringAldwincle adventure for redundant churches across England.  It was then decided that others may enjoy the experience of sleeping in historic buildings, and the idea of camping in a church to raise money for the CCT was launched backn in 2014 in Aldwincle, close to the banks of the River Nene in Northamptonshire. We began by partnering with local canoe hire company Canoe2 to provide overnight accommodation to those exploring the river. The success of providing an overnight adventure led to more churches across the country to be opened, and now we have 20 churches providing exclusive church stays!

For those who have already experienced it, Champing can be an adventure in itself – camping in a church, lanterns to lead you to a loo in the churchyard in theLaura Kennington middle of the night, the whole historical building all to yourself, and incredible church features to explore! Champing can also include exploring the local area – something embraced by many people this year, with those taking a staycation closer to home.

  • Escape for a weekend microadventure – walk or cycle 6 miles from Stansted Mountfitchet to our Champing church at Berden
  • Experience a slower pace of life – canoe along the River Nene and stay the night at our off-grid Champing church at Aldwincle
  • Follow in the footsteps of pilgrims – walk the pilgrim routes in East Kent and arrive at Fordwich by canoe

And whether you’re travelling by foot and taking a slower pace or on pilgrimage, or cycling between churches and stopovers, or experiencing the local waterways by canoe, there are many adventures to be had whilst Champing!

That’s why we’ve teamed up with Laura Kennington to help inspire you to explore Champing, so you can experience the positive impact of adventure for yourselves. Laura is an adventurer with a passion for exploring and especially encouraging others to do the same. Her inspirational book ‘Kairos‘ tells the story of Laura’s journey in redefining her limits and ultimately changing her life. Whilst experiencing the limits of endurance, Laura’s cycled 1600 miles of the stunning coast around Ireland, Scotland’s North Coast 500 route, and cycled 3700 miles along the North Sea-facing coasts of 8 countries, from Scotland to Norway! But this week, she is having a mini-adventure closer to home and cycling to St Mary’s church in Stansted Mountfitchet for a night’s Champing!

**Instagram GIVEAWAY!**

Win a Champing adventure for 2 at the stunning Stansted Mountfitchet church plus a signed copy of Laura Kennington’s widely acclaimed and inspirational adventure book ‘Kairos’!

What sort of Champing adventurer are you? Do you love history, cycling, quirky places to stay? We want to know what you’d like to explore on your next Champing adventure! We’re giving away a night’s Champing to a lucky winner who shares a photo that represents their perfect kind of Champing adventure.

Stansted Champin

To enter, follow @churchcamping AND share a picture on Instagram using #explorechamping of something you’d love to do whilst Champing – it could be an adventure outside, something cosy inside, or something completely different!

The winner gets to take a friend Champing for the night at the glorious Stansted Mountfitchet church and gets their hands on a signed copy of ‘Kairos’ – Laura Kennington’s inspirational adventure story. Entries will be judged on their creativity and number of likes (full T&Cs here), so spread the word and get sharing! Entry closes at 5pm, Friday 25th September, with the winner announced on Instagram.

To enter:
1. Follow @churchcamping
2. Snap a photo that represents your perfect Champing adventure
3. Share it on Instagram using #explorechamping

Winner will be announced on Instgram on Friday 25th September. Good luck!

 

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