A
desire to live off-grid and raise their
three girls surrounded by nature led
Layla and Rob Robinson to move to
the Welsh borders near Hay-on-Wye
in April 2008. As the children grew,
so the need for more space for the
family and visitors became more apparent. The couple
also wanted a project that would bring extra income to
subsidise their work during quieter patches. A vintage
1968 Bedford Panorama bus, spotted on Ebay, got them
thinking. It could be the answer: not just as an extension
to their home but also as a place to run as a holiday let.
Without hesitating, they put in a bid and bought the bus
from family-run coach firm Brodyr Williams in Upper
Tumble, near Carmarthen, in Wales.
A haulage contractor brought the battered old bus
from Upper Tumble to two miles from their home, then
Rob drove it down the country lanes leading to its final
destination, their Dutch barn, where it would be
refurbished. “I prayed it wouldn’t break down,” he
says. “I just about managed to drive it here.”RENOVATION BEGINS
The bus had been kept in a lean-to shed for years
and was in a poor state. Fortunately, as it had been
undercover, the rain hadn’t damaged the bodywork
too much. It was stripped of its 41 disheveled seats and
luggage racks, then a salvaged wooden f loor and wall
panelling from a pile of rough timber found at the back
of a local builder’s yard were fitted, and windows were
widened. The next challenge was restoring the exterior
panels and bodywork, which had been removed and
piled haphazardly into the interior. “We had to
work out how the panels and chrome trim fitted
together, as the original lettering had faded so much
that most of it was illegible,” says Rob.
They painstakingly put it back together, repairing
damaged and rusted areas, re-sealing the original »The table at the front
of the bus is made from
oak off-cuts from a local
saw mill; hanging rope
shelves (above) in the
kitchen area were
cleverly designed to
work with the sloping
ceiling of the bus.
Opposite: the bed,
made of sauna wood
salvaged from a house
clearance, is made cosy
with colourful vintage
cushions and quilts
bought either in nearby
Hay-on-Wye or on Ebay;
the shapely 1920s
slipper chair was
also an Ebay findHOME TOUR