"Mum, what are we even doing?!!"

what an odd holiday

Well that was an experience! Three nights sleeping in a Saxon church half a mile away from the ruins of the fourth largest roman settlement in England - Viroconium.

This lovey church is in the county of Shropshire (about a 2 hour drive away). The gateposts are made from two Roman columns; the walls contain massive Roman stones; and the huge font is made from an inverted Roman column base.

Part one

My two older lads had been wanting to go camping all summer but I just couldn’t face that for various reasons, so decided to sign up for something I had always fancied doing. I thought it’d be easier than actual camping because you don’t have to take much along.

So we went “champing” (camping in a church).

On arrival camp beds and chairs are already set up for you as well as there being water, a kettle and a few bits of cutlery for eating all the ten thousand pot noodles to come. All we had to take was bedding and extra blankets. However, by the time that was all in the car and a load of foods that require no cooking (I will never eat a pot noodle again thank you very much), the travel cot for the youngest, pushchair and all the rest of stuff, there was only just enough room to squash in 4 kids, a dog and me :)

My oldest has now sworn he will never go on holiday with me ever again!! Well, that was after the first night when none of us had really slept at all. I think (hope) he will really.

There was not much room to move in those beds but I am not complaining. That’s what you get for being tall. My other teenage son and I were laughing so much at the absurdity of sitting in the pitch dark (there was electricity by the way but we liked the dark at 3am) in the chancel between the rather ornate tombs of some local dignitaries.

According to the guidebook: “Inside the church are three wonderful sixteenth-century alabaster tombs - each has a life-size, and eerily lifelike, painted figure lying in repose. The earliest and finest commemorates Sir Thomas Bromley and his wife Mabel. He was Lord Chief Justice, and is shown in his lawyer's attire, while his wife wears a fine headdress.”

“Why cant we just have a normal holiday?”, asked my son. I think the “compost” toilet was the final straw - it wasn’t even a compost one - just a chemical thing that didn’t really work very well.

We then worked out we could have just got a Travelodge/Premier Inn much cheaper AND have breakfast AND there is internet AND they take dogs (“this is all Luna’s fault” we kept saying, because we had to find a dog friendly holiday).

Hahah it was all good really though! Nice to be off-grid. Almost no phone signal at all in the church - well I thought it an absolute miracle that there was any at all. The teenagers managed to find the best places which were right next to the tombs.

We all sat around pondering very late at night talking about all the people who had ever sat right at the very spot we were sitting in. The kettle/tea/coffee and camping chairs were just below the pulpit and where we set up the table to play monopoly must have been right where couples would have stood to get married and the vicar conducted funerals.

I am no Christian but it felt kind of disrespectful in a way.

But then this church has not been in use as a church since 1980! The money that “Champing” brings in goes to the upkeep of this wonderful building.

It was such a privilege to wake up to this!!

We had two full days and three nights which was just about right. The final night we were joined by my sister and brother in law which was really nice. The capacity (for “champing purposes”) for this church is 8 people (it is actually HUGE but I guess they have to put some limits on it)

I shall write more tomorrow as got to get out in this sunshine!! Here’s a video tour below just for paid subs.

We weren’t supposed to make videos for public consumption but I guess because there are only about 8 of you then that is OK (and yes, I did do some singing in there too which I will add next time)