A MAN who transformed his van into a Lord of the Rings-inspired home says he has no plans to actually travel in it.
Wood carver Glen Michael Herbert has spent more than five years living in the woods even though he has spent £30,000 transforming his home on wheels.
Jam Press/@art_of_spellboundGlen spent £30k transforming his van[/caption]
Jam Press/@art_of_spellboundGlen was inspired by The Lord of the Rings[/caption]
Jam Press/@art_of_spellboundFrom the outside the van looks perfectly ordinary[/caption]
He’s even named his van Radagast, after the brown wizard in Lord of the Rings.
Carving intricate scenes from the fantasy series into the van, he now spends his days exploring the woods, enjoying wildlife, and living like a hobbit.
The 60-year-old from Devon said: “I was drawn to this life as I’d always wanted to be a guardian of a woodland.
“The theme to my van is based on one of my favourite books and film series The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit.
“I decided to name the van Radagast- he is the brown wizard and also a guardian of the woods.
“Some of the main features incorporated in this van are dragons.
“I have a favourite feature within the van which is a carving of a woodland dragon his name is Bolton.
“This is based on the legend of the dragon who flew around the new forest in Hampshire and was eventually slain by the knight called Berkley and his dogs.
“The dragon died creating the hill called Bolton’s Bench in Lyndhurst in which Yew trees grow.
“My carving shows Bolton being reborn from the tree spreading his wings as he is recreated.
“I originally carved it to sell but I fell in love with it and decided to keep it for the van.”
Happening upon this life, Glen fell so in love with Radagast that he decided to stay indefinitely.
“I didn’t intend to have a life on the road, even though I do travel,” he added.
“I just wanted to make a base to work from.
“The travel was necessary to sell my creations at shows.
“I bought the van in 2017 from London.
“It took me nine months to build to a state of readiness for me to live in.
How he spent the money:
Van – £12,000
Truma boiler – £3,500
Fridge 12 volt and gas – £550
Toilet – £400
Electrics and solar panels – £3,000
Batteries – £1,000
Other furnishings – £9,550
TOTAL: £30,000
“The renovations include thermal insulation, boarded-out ceiling, king size bed, pull out small double bed which acts as the seating area too.
“I also added woodland wallpaper, carved artwork, and added a dragon door and a porch.
“The cost so far, as a guestimate, including van, is around £30,000.
“I did most of it myself, however, I used a company to fit the boiler and a friend who did the electrics.”
Despite loving his life in Radagast, there are downsides to his van life, with Glen occasionally missing the luxuries of a static home.
“Make no mistake, living in a van can be very hard, especially in the winter,” he said.
“There are things you take for granted living in a traditional house such as never-ending water supply, sanitary, electricity warmth.
“Living in a van you are conscious of ensuring your water tank is always full – my water is filtered rainwater and this takes time.
“I have four solar panels which give me free electricity for all my lights and fridge and 12 volts for your phone and laptop etc.
“In the winter there isn’t much sun and the trees shade the van so I have to turn the fridge off and use a box in the porch as a fridge.
“The blown air heating creates damp.
“I once found damp near my bed after using the blown air heating for a month during winter – this horrified me.
“I remember huddling around a candle to stay warm.
“After a while, I fitted a log burner – this was the best thing I’ve ever done for the van.
“The heat it produces is dry and there is no more damp and it is important to circulate fresh air.
When moving into the van initially, Glen’s family thought him mad.
He commented: “I think my family and some of my friends probably thought I was going through a midlife crisis when I decided to do this!
“It was difficult to explain why and what I wanted to do, but as time moved on, my family completely understand.
“I have two beautiful daughters who are proud of what I’ve achieved.
“My friends love to visit when they can too which is great.”
His daughters Elouise Brooks Herbert and Chloe Brooks Herbert love joining their dad in the van.
However, despite the negatives, he couldn’t be happier, welcoming wildlife into his home and becoming like Radagast the Brown himself.
“I once had a nest of blue tits move in through the vent above my shower and lived there for months without me knowing,” he said.
“Every year I have robins and wrens nest beneath the van.
“I also for the first time this year have discovered a hedgehog who lives near the van and visits beneath.
“I’ve named him Sebastian!”
Parking his van in Dartmoor National Park in Devon, he has now been there for five years and couldn’t be happier.
It comes after a man transformed his mobility scooter into a mini camper van – it’s completely road legal.
In September a family of four revealed how they manage to live in a van.
Meanwhile, a woman has told how she quit her 9-5 job to live her ‘dream’ life in a van – but say she was sold a lie.
Jam Press/@art_of_spellboundHis favourite feature is the wood carving of a dragon called Bolton[/caption]
Jam Press/@art_of_spellboundGlen’s named the van Radagast[/caption]
Jam Press/@art_of_spellboundGlen says his daughters, Elouise and Chloe, are proud of his achievement[/caption]