Come And See Us!
Get ready for an unmissable weekend of wheels, wanderlust, and wild stories! The Beast, our Volvo N10 overland camper will be on show at the National 4×4 & Camper Show at Stratford-upon-Avon Racecourse on 14–15 June 2025.
The show has a full schedule of seminars, which you can view here – and you will notice that I will be sharing my biggest adventures (and biggest mistakes!) as well as TONS of practical information in not one but TWO no-holds-barred talks.
🚚 Saturday 14:00 – Building The Beast: How (Not) To Build An Overland Camper
Ever dreamed of converting a 24.5-tonne ex-army truck into an off-grid overland rig? Let me tell you how we bought The Beast, our Volvo N10, blind off the internet and turned it into a rugged off grid camper suitable for an overland adventure to Mongolia. I’ll share the highs, the heartbreaks, and the head-scratching moments — from sketchy design choices to DIY disasters, and what we learned the hard way. If there’s time, I’ll throw in some tales from the road, with four dogs in tow!
🐾🍺 Sunday 15:00 – The Balkans, the Baltics, Travelling With Dogs and More! Bring a Beer & Ask Me Anything
This is a laid-back session where I’ll spill the beans on overlanding from Albania to Estonia, dealing with dodgy borders, travelling with dogs, writing on the road, and living full-time in a 6×4 truck. Expect practical hacks, honest answers, and maybe a beer-related story or two — since I used to be a professional beer taster!
💬 Topics you can quiz me on include:
- Living full-time in a truck
- Travelling with dogs
- Internet, insurance, visas & Schengen
- Practical tips on planning an adventure
- Taking your truck test (especially if you’re female!)
- Travel journaling tips
- What to do when disaster strikes
- And yes, beer!
Come for the advice, stay for the stories — and don’t forget to bring your questions (and maybe a pint). See you in Stratford!
In Addition – DO NOT MISS…!
Two of my fellow Lorry Life Ladies are giving talks too!
Saturday 12:00 – Turning Turquoise – Solo travel, the respray & service of a converted horsebox in Morocco – was it worth it? with Nicole & Sandy
Nicole and her pup Sandy spent 6 months in Morocco and 45 days at the mechanics with their 7.5T horsebox. The question is: was it worth it? Join Nicole to hear her story of mechanical failures, successful dog rescues and other fantastic adventures in beautiful Morocco.
Saturday 15:00 – Travel Bug – The Adventures of Pedro the 1969 Baha Beetle (UK to Singapore and more!) with Fiona Easterby
Fiona has travelled the world in Pedro, her trusty VW Bug. I recently read her book Beetle Drive, in which she drove Pedro 22,000 miles across deserts, rivers, mudslides and mountains. You can read my 5* review of Fiona’s mad, magnificent road trip here, or better still, come and hear it first hand from Fiona!
What Else Is On At The Show?
For two full days, you can enjoy four specialised zones of display vehicles, featuring 4x4s, Off-Road Motorsport, Overland Travel, and Adventure Bikes. There will be a plethora of traders, as well as the free-to-attend seminars, which span a host of subjects covering 4x4s, 2WD campervans, adventure bikes and expedition trucks.
There is a full programme of musical entertainment throughout the day and evening, as well as a far-from-serious ‘Camper’s Got Talent’ show on the Friday night. Expect street food from around the globe, a night market, Kev Keane’s “Bushcraft For Kids”, and lots more! For a full list of events to plan your N4x4&CS weekend, click here.
If you are thinking about buying or converting a van…
I really recommend visiting shows or attending meet-ups. This is without doubt the best way to get ideas, see what options are available, meet suppliers, manufacturers, and chat with experts and other like-minded people. If you already own a van, it’s just a fun thing to do!
Check Out My Vanlife Festival Planner
a comprehensive list of Vanlife and Self Build meetups and resources.
The National 4×4 & Camper Festival
When – 14th – 15th June 2025
Where – Stratford on Avon Racecourse, CV37 9SE, which on the outskirts of Stratford, a lovely twenty-minute stroll along the river from the historic town itself.
So Come And See Us!
If you have any questions about our build, our travels, or how we manage with four dogs in tow, please feel free to ask.
Otherwise, just come along and say ‘Hi’!
My Latest Book, Building The Beast: How (Not) To Build Your Own Camper
is Winning Awards!
My latest book, Building The Beast, which documents the trials and tribulations of our DIY build, has just WON bronze in the Adult Non Fiction section of the 2024 Wishing Shelf Book Awards. I even got a real medal!
It has already won a Readers’ Favorite 5* Seal, and reached the finals in the Memoir section of the Page Turner Awards. Building The Beast is available as an ebook or paperback on Amazon.
Motorhome & Camper Rentals
Image drew-bernard Unsplash
You can also rent campervans or motorhomes to see how you like the lifestyle, or the layout of a particular model. If you want to take your dog, there are dog friendly rentals. Some dealers also rent out campers or offer test drives.
The suppliers below bring together owners who want to make extra income from their vans and those wanting to rent a campervan and sample vanlife. Please note, I have never tried any of them, so these are not personal recommendations.
- Budget Campervans – offers campervan hire in the UK, including one way rentals, as well as hire options worldwide.
- Camplify – helps you find the perfect campervan for your next UK holiday, with comprehensive insurance and RAC breakdown cover.
- Camperbug – lists campers for hire by county in the UK, and also offers campervan hire abroad.
- Goboony – motorhome hire from a local owner. Goboony claims the largest fleet in the UK.
- Indie Campervan Hire – has listings in Europe, North America & Oceana. They also offer long-term campervan hire options for those who wish to sample the lifestyle.
- Quirky Campers brings together owners of bespoke campers and those who want to rent a unique campervan.
Other Posts You Might Find Useful
The Expedition Truck section of my blog links to a number of other posts you might find useful, such as:
- Trusted Suppliers & Self-Build Resources for Truck & Van Builds
- Film: Full-Time Off-Grid Travel in a Converted Volvo N10 Truck Camper
- The Birth of The Beast – How To Source & Spec. an Overland Truck
- The Costs of Converting an Overland Truck
- Converting an Expedition Truck Slideshow
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World Wide Walkies 
That sounds like a great event. The Beast is such an amazing vehicle. I wish I could be there but I am too far away (Texas).
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It’s only 5000 miles! 🙂
I will raise a glass to you, Thomas!
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Thank you so much Jacqueline. Cheers 🥂
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Have a good time. Seeing those pictures and because I love bright colours, if I was at the show I would ask if you have ever been tempted to paint your vehicle bright orange?
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I LOVE bright colours – the interior of our truck is rather different from the exterior – it’s orange, green, yellow… a bit like an explosion in a paint factory. It makes me happy!
I love The Beast’s NATO green exterior, though, because it’s part of her history. You could never reproduce it, because it’s NATO green with a 30 year of weathering patina. She is very well camouflaged when we’re in nature – people will see a small motorhome long before they see us! It has its disadvantages in looking rather military, but I’d worry that we’d be mistaken for drug smugglers if our exterior was too funky!
I love Simon’s Scania. Some other friends, Those Trucking Celts, have an orange truck.
Some part of me would like an orange truck!
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A bright interior sounds perfect and I can see the fairness of letting her keep her NATO green, as long as she does not get commandeered back into service!
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Try not to have too much fun at this event. You may not want to leave and continue travelling! Love the pics! 🙂
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Thank you!
That’s probably why they boot us off the racecourse a few days after the event, otherwise we’d probably all stay! Sometimes, the chill after the event with all your trucking friends is one of the nicest parts of the show.
I’m glad you enjoyed the pics. It’s an impressive and colourful line up of trucks!
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Wheels, wanderlust and wild stories!!! Sounds absolutely fabulous. No wonder it was a huge success. That’s my kind of event!
Congrats on your latest book too. 👏
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Thank you so much, Miriam.
The shows are a wonderful opportunity to meet other like-minded folk, and it’s always a joy to have the opportunity to sit around a campfire with your besties!
Here’s to the road!
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