Fintry

We’ve always enjoyed travelling off the beaten track, and dreamt of having a campervan for too many years to count. Initially we planned to self-build because off-the shelf vans didn’t seem to fit our bill, either functionally or aesthetically.  

After two years of planning/researching, a work colleague suggested we look at Born Wild Vans – a company just along the road from us. To be honest, I only looked to be polite, but their Previous Conversions page was a delight! Here was a company who seemed to think along the same lines as ourselves, both practically and aesthetically.

We arranged a meeting with David and were convinced that these were people who would build the van we wanted, not the van they wanted. No idea was dismissed. Stain glass windows in the bulkhead (thanks Dan, they’re fabulous!!); separator toilet instead of the standard Portaloo; bespoke garage area; and latterly, a cat flap in the rear door for our expanding travelling troupe! In fact, too many bespoke features to mention them all.

David and Dan were happy to hand over certain tasks to us when we requested, allowing us to budget as well as feeling we were part of the build (albeit in a superficial way).

We got the van we saw in our imagination, built to a standard of workmanship we could never have achieved ourselves. The family call it our wee boutique hotel on wheels! 

Since we pick up the completed van in August 2023, we’ve had a ball. We’ve wild camped in Kintyre; ventured along the Wild Atlantic Way; and explored the South Coast of England. We’ve had our Instagram sunsets in Dunbar, and sunrises in Tain. We’ve taken the grandkids away several times, introducing their young minds to a different way of life. We’ve found a bolt hole in Dumfriesshire that we can travel to at a moment’s notice, allowing us to be as flexible as the weather is changeable.

Building the van has allowed us to lead the life we wanted; free to travel where and when we like - weather App in one hand, map in the other.

Thanks Born Wild Vans!!