Walkers and walking groups are a common feature of the UK countryside, tracking over rural paths and taking in beauty spots. Many churches are located on these ancient routes and form a key landmark for walkers, both for navigation and by providing a place to rest.
While this relationship between walkers and churches has existed for centuries, some places of worship are exploring new ways to engage with hiking groups. St Aeddan's in Bettws Newydd, Monmouthshire has developed a strong connection with local walkers since beginning to fundraise for a major roof repair project.
Support from walking groups
The church is located in the perfect spot for walkers.
“We're lucky to be in beautiful countryside where there are a number of ancient rights of way with three footpaths that meet at the church. This makes it a very convenient spot for walkers to take a break and to picnic in the churchyard,” says Lucy Prichard, Chair of the Friends of Bettws Newydd Church.
“When we started the fundraising campaign for the new roof and were spending more time in the churchyard, we began to appreciate just how many walking groups were coming through.
“One very miserable February day, I went into the churchyard. I was worrying about the fundraising task ahead of us, and I spotted three separate walking groups enjoying lunch. There were 56 people who were on the snowdrop trail.”
After speaking to more walking groups, the team discovered how much walkers valued St Aeddan’s.
“It was so helpful to understand how much walkers appreciate the church and churchyard, and they were keen to help us share that importance with our potential funders,” Lucy explains.
“Through talking to them, and reading their comments in the visitor’s book, we have learnt how much the church means to them. They have become a very important part of the argument for keeping the church open.”
Attracting walkers into the church
Many churches can be found on popular trails. But people often assume that churches aren’t open to the general public. Lucy describes this as an attitude that St Aeddan’s encountered.
“One of the challenges was the belief that a church isn't open. Just trying to persuade people to open the door has been quite difficult,” says Lucy.
But this didn’t deter the church from engaging with walkers. They had a big banner created, put up a map in the porch, and explored other ways of interacting with visitors.
“One of the things we did find was that the church and the walk appears in quite a few books and online resources that we didn't know about,” explain Lucy.
“We were particularly surprised to learn about Wild Guide Wales, which features the churchyard’s very significant yew tree, and that brings visitors – particularly from abroad.”
“We set up a Friends group. We've got 70 people on our mailing list and some of those are walkers. So, what we've tried to do is to create a little community. People from the church talk to the walking groups and often tell them about the history of the church.”
Working around your limitations
Even with a great team, there are going to be things that prevent you from providing services that you’d like to at your place of worship. At St Aeddan that thing is a lack of running water or toilet facilities. While it does fundamentally limit the tourism support that the church can offer, the team have done what they can with the resources available.
“We are very keen to encourage visitors to the church. We have added way-marking signs in the churchyard as there are two stiles which can cause confusion for some walkers. There is nowhere close by to be able to get a cup of tea, so with walkers particularly in mind, we recently added a hospitality box with water and biscuits. And that's been very popular,” Lucy describes.
Looking ahead to the future
St Aeddan has been successful in developing their engagement with local walkers. But having reached this stage through a series of small changes, the team are keen to keep building to do even more.
“I think that introduction to the Chepstow Walking Festival was really interesting. They organised a guided walk that came through, and the Friends were able to offer refreshments and share information about the site. We are looking forward to finding ways of developing links with them,” shares Lucy.
“The church was delighted to receive a visit request a couple of weeks ago from a group just over the border in England. Although they are not a walking group, and are looking to come by coach, it appears word is getting round.
“We have seen that, on the walk, people do lose their way. So, in the car park we would like to provide an information point with practical assistance for walkers as well as sharing interesting heritage and ecological detail about the site for all visitors.”
Churches in the countryside are often a popular spot for walkers to stop, rest and learn. At St Aeddan’s, Bettws Newydd, the team have taken active steps to engage these walkers, offering a warm welcome, including a map for directions and food for sustenance. By opening their doors, they’re supporting a key group of people who really value and benefit from the church building.
For Churches: top tips for your place of worship
- Use signs to let walkers know that your church is open. Even if walkers are picnicking in the churchyard, they might not realise they can go inside. By putting up welcoming signage, you’ll create a warmer welcome for them.
- Find out about local festivals and walking groups. If your church is located near walking paths, there might be local groups or even festivals. By engaging with larger groups like this, you’ll help to attract more visitors by word of mouth. Let us know if you’re taking part in a walking festival at info@nationalchurchestrust.org to have it added to our walking festivals page.
- Work around your limitations. Churches on walking routes rarely have the same facilities as their urban counterparts. But that doesn’t mean they can’t offer anything. Even if you can just offer water and biscuits, it might make a big difference to a group of weary travellers.
- Add your church to our website. Help visitors to find your place of worship and details about opening times by adding it to our website.