I talked this through with Becs, Luke and Davy on Sunday, and it occured to me that there is a point at which a van, laden with tents and spares, would become economic.
If, for example, you costed B+B at £40 a night and camping at £10 a night then that's a considerable saving if you had twelve or fifteen people. Camping isn't everybody's cup of tea (I name no names) and eleven nights of camping in succession might bring out the Tent Peg Assassin in some of us, but if a van and driver were to cost £150 a day then you'd have scope for mixing camping with B+B. You'd also be able to put spare wheels and so on in the van.
How about Lands End - Launceston - Bridgewater - Moreton in the Marsh - Bingham - York in five days?
Any more than two nights, I reckon. Any more than zero if it's pissing with rain. I'm up for the tour, though. Love the Italy idea, but I'd be in for an English jaunt, in which case I'm quite a fan of hostels. Wouldn't mind giving 80 miles a day a go if not carrying much, but the odd day off could be good if it's a long tour - I'd join in for as much as I could afford. If it's in this country I might be able to volunteer a van.