Motorhomes

ONE couple ditched pricey holidays to Thailand, Costa Rica and the Maldives for staycations – after renovating a carpenter’s van.

Andy and Claire Stocks, who hail from Barnsley, opted for UK road trips after deciding to buy a run-down van to convert.

The couple now go away every week and document their travels on their YouTube Channel – and they’ve just published a book It Started with a Van detailing all of their staycation adventures.

When the pair first ditched far-flung destinations for the UK, it’s safe to say their friends were dubious.

Andy explained: “People that knew us from before doing this would have never thought we’d be fans of motorhomes.

“We were always going to exotic places rather than staying at campsites.”

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But since owning a van, which has since been traded in for a newer motorhome model, the pair have ventured all over the UK.

Claire admitted: “I don’t think we ever appreciated how beautiful the UK is and we go everywhere – one of my favourite places is actually Hartlepool.”

“We went with no real expectations but we saw dolphins in the sea there – it blew our minds.”

Andy added: “We’ve found some great waterfalls in the UK too – which we actually went all the way to Costa Rica to see.

“But actually there are loads in North Yorkshire like Janet’s Foss and Malham Cove.”

Other places they’ve explored are Glastonbury which Andy described as an “amazing spiritual town”.

In the Yorkshire Dales, the couple stopped by The Strid which as Claire explained is one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world.

When it comes to campsites, Claire and Andy like to mix it up from five-star sites to cheaper options with beautiful sea views.

Talking about one of their most memorable stays, Andy said: “There’s a campsite on the Isle of Mull called Fidden Farm.

“You turn up and can park wherever you like, but as it’s coastal, you stay right on the white beach.

“It has the best sunsets that you could possibly wish for and so wild – you get every season within around 15-minutes.”

Pitches start from £14 per night per adult, and £7 per night for children.

When it came to five-star stays, the couple said the Concierge Camping in Chichester was one of their favourites.

Claire admitted it’s “one of the best campsites I’ve ever been to”,

The campsite even has ‘award-winning washrooms’ which is perfect for those who don’t enjoy the classic camping toilet situation.

It has granite-topped wash areas, complimentary toiletries and lots of the facilities have underfloor heating.

Sun Travel found pitches from £73 per night.

On occasion, Andy and Claire head over to Europe. At one point they explored seven countries including Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, France, Belgium and Italy in two weeks.

And for anyone driving across to France in a motorhome, they suggest you check into an Aire.

‘Aire’ is short for the French term ‘aire de service’ – which essentially is a free or cheap motorhome camping area.

Andy explained: “We used Aires on a trip to Normandy, they’re really basic campsites but they’re about €10 a night so it’s a really cheap way to get around.”

Claire added: “You don’t have to book either, and they’re spotlessly clean and lots of them have beautiful views as well.”

“There’s a lovely one outside of Honfleur,” said Andy. “And from there you can just walk into the town.”

Talking about whether it’s made travelling any cheaper, Andy confessed it hasn’t as he never saw any return on his original van.

But he added: “I don’t talk about money – but it’s all experience. That’s how the book ends, it’s not about money, it’s about your life.”

A couple converted an £8k van during the pandemic, despite having no experience, and since then have swapped exotic trips abroad for staycations to some very unusual UK locations

A “battered” carpenter’s van that cost £8,000 changed the course of one couple’s lives after they turned it into a home on wheels.

Andy and Claire Stocks, also known as St Christopher of Atlantis to more than 45,000 followers on YouTube, have swapped foreign holidays for staycations in their van, sharing their adventures across the UK’s underrated spots with their fans.

The Barnsley couple fell into van life accidentally, taking on the task of turning a van into a motorhome after their Mercedes broke down during the pandemic and they were unable to get parts. “It started to get this intermittent fault on the dashboard and I didn’t really want to part with the car, but it got worse and worse, and it was coming up more and more,” Andy explained.

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“I was a little bit annoyed at it. So, I decided to buy a van instead. I just kind of threw the teddy out of the pram because the car that I liked, I couldn’t have.”

But that van ended up being life-changing for the couple. They swapped exotic jaunts to hotels and Airbnbs in the Far East and Central America for simpler staycations, and have now semi-retired to spend more time on the road and focus on their YouTube channel.

The couple has also turned their adventures into a book: It Started with a Van, due to be released in paperback on July 16. The story begins with them finding a van and deciding to give vanlife a go, with Andy noting he had no experience and “an unrealistic amount of confidence” when he took on the project.

Andy admitted that the start of the project had its hitches. “The first job that I had to do – there’s a bulkhead that separates the cab from the back to stop things flying into the cabin. So, I had to remove that. I thought that was going to be a really easy job. And I started taking the bolts out, and they were all good apart from one bolt, and that took me two weeks to actually get rid of. So it kind of set the tone for everything else that followed.”

While they learned some skills from YouTube and a book on conversions, the couple went into the project blind, doing jobs after work in the winter whenever they had enough light.

In addition to the initial cost of £8,000 for the van, the couple spent a “few thousand” on the renovations, although they haven’t worked out the true amount. Andy joked: “I might be in trouble with her if I did.”

Their first trip in the van was to Conwy in Wales, and it took place with the build half-done. The couple admitted it was less glamorous than many vanlife influencers would have you believe.

“I was trying to sell the lifestyle to Claire. What actually happened was we sat in a car park with a sandwich. On the bare floor,” laughed Andy.

As they worked on the van the couple had the idea to put updates on their progress on YouTube. They have since built a base of thousands of subscribers. But at first, the reception wasn’t quite what they expected.

Andy said: “When we put it out on YouTube, I think people thought it was a bit of a joke. Some of the initial comments were, ‘Oh, that was really funny. That was, you know, you made me laugh.’ And actually, that wasn’t your intention at all.

“No, I put my best foot forward thinking this would show people how to build a van, but they thought it was more of a funny sort of parody type thing really.”

However, they persevered and have now cut their work days to three a week to allow them to spend more time in the van and creating YouTube content.

In a typical day, the couple travel to a campsite and create a video tour of the facilities. “A lot of people book campsites off the back of us. We turn up, we set the pitch up, then we grab the cameras, and then we will go and tour the campsite and the surrounding area. And then when we’ve done that, we come back to the motor home and we’re working basically,” Andy said.

“The illusion is that we are out and just on campsites and enjoying ourselves., But we’re editing, we’re dealing with the social media side, the comments. And so it’s like our motor home now, it’s a bit like an office on wheels.”

Despite the success of their build, Andy conceded that if they had to do it all again, he’d “probably get somebody else to build it because I really found out what my limits were.”

After enjoying adventures that took them all the way to Italy through Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium, plus lots of staycations, the couple eventually traded in their carpenter’s van, opting to buy a motorhome instead.

As a couple on the road all the time, Andy and Claire noted that living in tight quarters can lead to annoyances. Their original van had no separate seating area, just a bed, and no built-in toilet, so they had to rely on campsite facilities and stay “mega organised” to cope.

The couple also dealt with breakdowns and an incident where they ended up trapped in a full-blown blizzard. Perhaps most memorable was when they ended up in completely the wrong place.

Andy said: “We did have an occasion where we put in the wrong location into the satnav. I went to the completely incorrect country. It said we should have been somewhere in France. We ended up in Belgium.”

Debunking a common myth, Andy and Claire say they like to support the local economies in places they visit, often highlighting local cafes, bars, and shops on their channel.

And their trip highlights? The Isle of Mull was a favourite of Claire’s as it has “the most wonderful sunset we’ve ever seen”. She recommended a campsite called Fidden Farm and said: “And the beaches truly are white beaches up there”, comparing it to the Maldives.

Andy’s favourite was a little more unusual: “This is a really random place that we would never expect it. We went to Hartlepool Marina and we saw dolphins. It was so beautiful, kind of an industrial location actually, but then you look up and you’re watching the dolphins.Goodness!

“The Northeast is a bit like that. You know, you can be on a beach and you look one way and there’s industry, but then you look the other way and you’ve got wildlife. Everywhere has got something going for it.”

So, will Andy and Claire ever hang up their motorhome keys? The couple said that they’d like to stay on the road for as long as possible. “We are quite young to be motorhomers. The demographic of our channel is a lot of people that are older than us. So, we’ve got all that to go and we’ll do it as long as we enjoy it,” Andy added.

And his advice to anyone thinking of taking on this kind of life? “Just do it now while you can. Just do whatever you want to do. Get out and do it. That’s my advice.”

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The UK has an incredible range of places to camp, from national parks to unspoilt coastline, so where should you pitch your tent or drive your motorhome this summer? Research has shown the ultimate spot to enjoy the great outdoors

A ‘Summer on a Shoestring Index’ has been created to show the best-value money places to camp in the upcoming months, and the winning destination has some of the country’s best beaches as well as inexpensive spots to pitch up.

Devon beat competition from Cornwall, the Scottish Highlands, and many other beautiful UK regions to be named the UK’s best-value destination for a campervan staycation this summer.

The index, put together by Camplify UK, took into account factors including the price per day for a caravan pitch, tourist board ratings, nearby activities, and the proximity of inexpensive places to eat. Devon also topped the list thanks to its number of National Trust Properties, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and National Parks, all of which offer inexpensive days out for families.

Camping pitches in Devon can be found for as little as £14 a night, and according to Camplify 85% of campsites in the county offer stays for under £20 a night while still maintaining a rating of at least 8.5. For rural escapes, Dartmoor National Park is an incredible choice, offering untamed open moorland and deep river valleys where wild ponies roam.

Devon destinations include the beach towns of Woolacombe and Croyde, and National Trust sites such as Baggy Point and Lydford Gorge make for inexpensive days out. There’s also the North Devon National Landscape to explore, an area of outstanding natural beauty that includes rocky coves, waterfalls, and soft sand dunes.

A recent ranking of the Best Beaches in Europe for 2026 included three in Devon. These included Woolacombe Beach at number 8, which beat beaches in the Canaries and Portugal to get a top ten ranking. Trebarwith Beach came in at number 17, while Bigbury Beach in South Devon ranked at 23.

Coming second on Camplify’s list was neighbouring county Cornwall, which also has lots of free and inexpensive days out for families. Like Devon, its also known for its spectacular beaches, with some compared to the Caribbean. Kynance Cove on the Lizard Peninsula, as its turquoise waters and white sands could easily be found on a far-flung island.

For outdoorsy breaks, Cornwall is famous for surfing, especially towns such as Newquay whose beaches are considered some of the best in the UK in which to catch a wave.

Rounding off the top three was the Scottish Highlands, the perfect spot for camping among wild scenery, and waking up to views of mountains and glacial valleys. You’ll find plenty of well-equipped campsites in the region, although unlike England, wild camping is legal in Scotland if you’re in a small tent and ensure you leave no trace when you pack up the next day.

Those camping in motorhomes or bringing caravans still need to ensure they book a pitch at a campsite or other designated area. Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) offer a stay the night scheme, where self-contained campers can park cheaply overnight in their car parks, with spaces on a first come, first served basis..

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The 28-year-old was on a six-week trip when she was involved in an accident in the motorhome she had hired

A Brit’s dream holiday turned into a nightmare after a horror motorhome crash left her unable to walk. Emma Blood, 28, was travelling in Western Australia when the collision left her trapped, seriously injured and facing a year-long recovery.

The hospitality worker from Milton Keynes had travelled to Australia on March 19, 2026, with plans to spend six weeks exploring. Inspired by stories from other travellers, she teamed up with three women she had met through a travel group and hired a motorhome to travel around and live in while exploring the region.

Just nine days into the trip, on March 29, Emma and the three women were travelling towards Margaret River when she lost control of the motorhome, due to slipping on the Western Australia mud roads, and crashed into a tree. Two passengers suffered minor injuries, but Emma was trapped from the waist down in the wreckage and had to be cut free by firefighters.

She was then airlifted to Perth Trauma Hospital, where she spent 10 days before flying back to the UK to continue her recovery. She said: “There are still a lot of blank spaces in my memory, I’m not sure whether I lost consciousness or whether it’s just a trauma response.

“I recall the moment of impact, when the vehicle struck a tree on the driver’s side where I was sitting. The force of the crash pushed everything forward, and I ended up trapped from the waist down.”

While the other passengers escaped with relatively minor injuries, Emma suffered devastating damage to her leg. One passenger required stitches to her face, and another was left with a bruised finger, but Emma faced a far more serious outcome.

Emergency services were alerted after her phone automatically contacted them following the collision. Upon arrival, a fire crew had to cut Emma free before she was airlifted to Perth Trauma Hospital.

Doctors discovered she had broken her femur in three places. She underwent emergency surgery lasting around six hours, during which surgeons inserted an intramedullary nail – a metal rod fixed inside the bone with six screws to stabilise the fractures.

Emma said: “I remember being in and out of consciousness, having scans and being moved around the hospital. It felt like something out of 24 Hours in A&E or Casualty, being rushed about.

“One of the most difficult moments was definitely standing for the first time after surgery. It was terrifying because I had no control over my leg, at first they thought there could be spinal injuries but it turned out to be okay.”

Complications continued when doctors discovered her haemoglobin levels had dropped dangerously low, resulting in a blood transfusion several days later. Emma spent 10 days in the hospital in Australia before her father flew out to help bring her home.

She said: “I couldn’t have travelled back on my own, I needed someone with me the whole way. If my dad hadn’t come to pick me up, I would have had someone to take me who I didn’t know.”

After arriving back in the UK on April 8, she was admitted to Milton Keynes Hospital for around another week before continuing her recovery at home.

In the early stages of recovery, Emma could not move her injured leg without using a strap around her foot and required assistance with everyday tasks, including showering.

She said: “It felt like I had lost all independence. I have been told a full recovery could take up to a year, but I am making great progress.

“My older brother is helping me, he’s a sports physiotherapist and thanks to him I progressed from a walking frame to two crutches, and now I only rely on one.”

She spends time in the gym every day, rebuilding strength and mobility and recently celebrated a major milestone by getting back behind the wheel of a car.

She said: “Driving again was huge for me, both physically and mentally. Although the accident cut short my dream trip, I will go back to finish it.

“There is still a lot of trauma attached to what happened, but for now, I am going to focus on getting back to my full health and independence.”