Battle of the celeb caravans – from EastEnders actor’s £138k beast to Dragons’ Den star’s surprisingly budget motorhome
YOU’RE a rich and famous celebrity, so how do you spend your holidays? Carting around in a caravan, of course
Yes, even £160,000-a-week footballers are apparently unable to resist the allure of a motorhome break, with Kyle Walker recently whisking wife Annie Kilner, 34, and their kids off in one for a reconciliation break on the Welsh border.
And he’s not the only famous face to opt for a no-frills campervan holiday.
Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash took their brood away in April to Kent Coast Holiday Park to stay in a luxurious mobile home.
Despite trolls attempting to savage her choice of getaway, Stacey remained proud, posting on Instagram: “There must be some kind of stigma around holiday parks because so many of you messaged saying you couldn’t believe that’s where we’d chosen to go! Honestly I think they’re THE best.
“I don’t care what anyone says, there’s just something so magical for kids about a holiday park!”
While Stacey enjoys a visit to a specialist park, she’s yet to take the leap like other celebrities and actually own her own caravan or motor-home.
But these celebrities love the nomadic life so much that they’ve gone the whole hog.
Carol Vorderman
Former Countdown host Carol, 63, loves campervans so much she even has a dedicated Instagram account charting her efforts to do one up, fittingly named ‘Vordervan’.
She opted to buy a MAN TGE3 for between £38,000 and £47,000 and has since spent £50,000 renovating it.
Carol has opted for a tiny bathroom, which makes getting clean a little tricky.
She explained: “So I designed it so there’s a loo in there, a compost toilet, so you sit down – because when you stand up to have a shower you need more room for your arms.”
Carol added: “Whereas if you have a sit-down shower, which you can perfectly well do, you don’t need as much space in the van.”
She has also invested in a canopy that is attached to the outside so when the weather is nice she can enjoy it.
The TV host moved into the van after putting her sprawling Bristol mansion on the market, but she does still have houses in Wales and a smaller pad in Bristol.
Adam Woodyatt
After divorcing his wife, EastEnders actor Adam, 56, moved into a £93,000 motorhome which was supposed to just be a temporary base.
But he loved the Bürstner motorhome so much that he decided to make it his permanent residence thanks to the peace and quiet.
The huge residence on wheels boats a king bed, a large living area with a nude coloured sofa and a coffee table, a full bathroom set and a large kitchen.
He initially bought the home to live in while he toured with a play, but fell in love.
Adam said: “It’s been 14 or 15 months and I’m absolutely loving it.
“I’ve no plans to move out. It’s a completely different way of life. You don’t need the trappings.”
Sara Davies
Entrepreneur Sara, 40, loves to take her sons Oliver, six, and Charlie, three, off for holidays in her huge campervan.
The motorhome has a huge kitchen as well as separate bedrooms so the family aren’t cooped up in the same room at night.
On a trip to Yorkshire, she gave fans a tour of the vehicle that her dad had renovated for her.
She told fans: “He set himself a budget of £13,000 all in (including the van_ and he went a bit over but I believe he’s still under £15 (of course there was no labour charge there – but he spent over a year in total working on it!)”
He even installed solar panels so Sara doesn’t need to find somewhere to plug in for power.
Filming around the vehicle, she showed off the kitchen with its own bar area, sofa and sprawling bed space for her and her children.
Despite the huge interior, Sara likes to set up an outdoor living space if the weather permits so the family can relax around a fire pit.
She first showcased her love of motorhomes in 2019 by appearing on Channel 5′s Million Pound Motorhomes – not that her vehicle at the time cost quite that much!
Shane Richie
EastEnders actor Shane, 60, is the proud owner of a £138,000 motorhome.
The beast on wheels is his second motorhome, which claims is just for his own enjoyment.
Giving a tour, he said: “As you can see, it’s got all the mod cons in here.
“This is my second one. I loved my first one but we’re kind of just… I don’t want to say downsizing, but I managed to get rid of the in-laws so this is just for me…ME.
“Unfortunately the kids may be using it and the wife. Maybe if she’s lucky!”
DIY Van Tips
More and more people are embracing van life and transforming old work vans into miniature homes. Experts at Vanspace shared some tips on how to take on a van renovation yourself.
Ebay – Buying second hand is a great way to make things more affordable. This can include tools for renovations, furnishings and even specialist toilets.
Kitchens – Trying and think how much you’d actually use a full kitchen because installing one is expensive. One way to save space and cash is to opt for a camping stove. Instead of a fridge, a coolbox could meet your needs and save space.
Showers – Often there isn’t space for a full shower in converted vans and many vanlifers have a gym membership and shower properly at the gym. Alternatively, the recommend using a portable outside shower than can heat up in the sun.
Scrap Solar Panels – Solar panels are the biggest outlay for most people who convert a van, but it might not be worth it. Having battery-powered lamps and appliances is a cheaper way to make it work.
His motorhome is a Carthago C-Line and comes with built-in storage under the bed.
It has a tiny toilet and a separate shower unit to allow for privacy. And there is one clever drop-down bed to allow more people to stay over.
“This is where my kids love. It is like their own little hideaway,” he explains.
Shane added: “It’s a bit like Doctor Who’s Tardis, the amount of space you’ve got and storage. I love it.”
The Radfords
While Sue Radford might have a staggering number of children, that hasn’t stopped her taking them on campervan holidays.
The mum-of-22, 49, splashed out on a luxury motorhome believed to be worth around £40,000 in 2022.
In a tour of their new holiday accommodation, her husband Noel joked it could sleep around six of their kids.
The model they opted for had lots of seats in the back to be able to fit in as many of their brood as possible.
The sofas fold down into beds and there is a fully-equipped bathroom, which Noel is in charge of emptying.
When they’re not in the motorhome, they also like to holiday in caravans.
They recently headed out to Cappen De Twee Bruggen, in the Netherlands for a low-cost holiday.
Sharing their trip on Instagram, Sue wrote: “This is where we stayed. We paid just under £500 for each caravan, compared to £1.2k a van to stay in the UK for the week, so definitely much cheaper, but obviously have to travel much long.
“But if you don’t mind travelling, I’d definitely recommend doing it, we did the tunnel which for us is just easier.”
Annabel Croft
Tennis ace Annabel, 58, is another fan of having a home you can drive around.
She transformed a classic white van into a camper with her husband, Mel Coleman.
They took on the project during the third UK lockdown and now travel the country in their renovated motor.
Inside they’ve installed a little dining area, a big bed, with storage underneath, and space for cooking. When they’re in bed they can open the rear doors to enjoy the view.
She said: “I love walking and just not being tied to anything, and heading off to visit the local area – it’s so freeing.
“We try and do two activities per day when we’re away, so we might go for a walk in the morning and then a visit to a castle or a country home in the afternoon followed by a drink at the pub.”
Ewan McGregor
Scottish actor Ewan, 53, has been vocal about his love of Volkswagen classic cars and campervans.
The Star Wars actor owns two 1967 Volkswagen Westfalia campervans, which he has used to take his five children on holiday.
Back in 2022, he told Top Gear: “The only car I ever made any money on was a 1969 Aston Martin DBS, which was really lovely.
“I sold that in order to buy a 1967 split-windshield VW Westfalia Camper, which was an odd trade.”
The classic campervan usually has a kitchen area with table, a bed in the back and a toilet in the rear panels.
It’s not clear if Ewan has updated his models to fit his own needs and wants for a camper.
He was seen in lockdown taking one of the vans out for a spin in California.