Some interesting points have come up in this topic. I like;
Traditionally churches had a duty of (free) shelter for travellers - which is why the south porch of a church is generally so large.
Funny how just floating an idea here, just on a whim, adds to your knowledge, thanks stube.
Not that I am in any way in a position to advise the church, just connecting ideas is a fun pastime and I suspect that my vision as I dozed in the back pew differed from the Glamping Champing, as portrayed in
Jac's link.
DA paints picture nearer to my vision,
The weather I remember was beautiful, and back in those days, all the churches remained open, even though half of the ones mentioned are in very remote locations, down country lanes.
I bet most of them now remained locked,
How many would welcome less glam, just shelter and the chance to bolt a door together with the basic of water and light and pay handsomely for just this.
The image that champing has portrayed needs heavy and sustained marketing, routes provide footfall, a good route provides sustained footfall. Routes can become embedded.
The irony here is the connection mentioned
typically £50k - I wonder how the small country parishes manage to find such a sum on a regular basis - perhaps the local large landowners are still paying for the church.
28 years ago the Pennine Way was putting £8000 miles per mile per annum into the local economy, add another nought to the figure the Welsh Coastal Path's earning power and yet another nought for the revenue from the South East Coastal Path. Most people I read about online do these routes on a tight budget.
So where is £100,000's per mile per year coming from routes, what is the mechanic's, creative accounting has been quoted to me by a hotelier and in the same conversation he grumbles about the local landowners attempts to block local footpaths, where he walks his dogs.