We’d always talked about getting a motorhome and travelling the UK and Europe, so along with our general commitment issues to a single location, I didn't have to do much to convince Mr. Dean.
I'll be honest, lots of other things fell into place too. Mr. Deans latest work contract came to an end early (due to the pandemic) so he could take a work break. No ill parents to care for, grown-up child moved out and so no emotional commitments in the UK.
Our house rental in France came up for renewal, so we moved out and a smaller studio became available in the Forest of Dean so I could downsize. Then we went van shopping.
If the pandemic was telling us anything it was not to hang around and ‘wait’ for our dreams to happen, the first lockdown gave us vital weeks to research, plan and get organised.
As of July 2020 we were the proud owners of a 2013 Hymer Starline S B690, quite a beast, yes I can drive it and I have driven it, but let's just say Mr. Dean prefers to drive it 😆
If I think about it at the beginning of 2020 I’d never even heard of the name Hymer! We didn't pick a small van we could convert, it's interesting to watch others do this but we are practical people we knew we wanted space, we knew the weather wouldn't always be perfect and we knew we wouldn't be offroading in the van (not intentionally anyway)
Hymer is a german brand, known for it's high quality finishing and I find them quite stylish, the donor chassis is a mercedes van (hence why I still call it a van!) Motorhome is probably the more accurate description.
There's a fabulously supportive network of Hymer Owners online, check out the Hymer Owners Group (HOGS) on Facebook.
Mr. Dean and I have not stopped smiling since we picked her up!
We had no idea how this would all play out and for how long we'd be doing it for, if I could keep my shop and studio open, I moved a lot of my services and my shop online. One thing we were sure about, we were going to do it and not worry about it!
UPDATE: October 2021
The Studio may now be closed to the public, but I have an extensive range of UK stockists and the online shop is flourishing, you can still commission me too, never mind working from home, working from the motorhome is all the new rage! We're currently in Spain embarking on another trip, I'm sharing a lot more on Instagram, you'll get all our travel and my work now @joscottartist and for more detailed updates make sure you're on my email list here
