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An Old American Bus With a VW Campervan on Top Is Off-Grid Luxury at Its Finest

If you are arriving in the dark, we will provide torches” is not the kind of welcoming message you’d expect in 2023, but it makes perfect sense if you’re ready to leave behind the hamster-wheel lifestyle for a while and reconnect with nature, simplicity, and freedom. One of the best way to do that? Ditch the noise and hassle of city life for a restoring experience inside an old bus that came all the way from the U.S. to UK, to become a unique home.
The Hinterlandes is an 1985 Blue Bird with a WV T3 welded on top 15 photos
Photo: Instagram/Hinterlandes
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Not everyone is ready to jump onboard the tiny living/mobile living trend, even though it’s tempting for many. The solution? Booking a few days on one of the quirkiest vacation retreats, which is just as epic as its name suggests – Hinterlandes. Located in Lake District, a stunning mountainous region in Cumbria, UK, this retreat doesn’t just look like a weird beast with an unexpected hump but is an original blend of luxury and off-grid accommodation.

If you just hear the word “skoolie,” you might make the mistake of brushing it off as “nothing special.” Once a truly unusual type of home on wheels, that gave off strong hippie vibes, the converted school bus is now a rather common animal within the mobile living fauna. Whether it roams as a family’s private home or stays put as a glamping destination, the skoolie is a beloved type of house on wheels in the U.S., in Britain, and in other parts of the world.

It’s been a long time since Furthur paved the way for today’s skoolies. The 1939 International Harvester bus became a living legend after the American author Ken Kesey purchased it in 1964 and turned it into a home on the road for the infamous “Merry Band of Pranksters.” Of course, today’s conversions are much more tempered and mild, compared to the outrageous Furthur, but they still keep some of that rebellious sparkle that started it all.

John and Hannah Graham fell in love with the skoolie phenomenon. After discovering a book on unusual cabin designs and watching numerous bus conversion projects, they decided to give it a try themselves. That would become their remarkable off-grid glamping site called Hinterlandes started out with an apparently “boring” old bus.

Hinterlandes Bus
Photo: Facebook/Hinterlandes
They went for a 1985 school bus from the U.S, more specifically, a Blue Bird. But they turned it into something unlike most modern skoolies by attaching a Volkswagen T25 (this is how the third-generation VW T3 is known in the UK) to its top. This was the most difficult part of the process – stripping out both the old bus and campervan, and then welding them together.

Once the new hybrid beast was assembled, it was time to turn its inside into a welcoming home. The whole point of adding the VW campervan shell was to create extra room for a bedroom, so the bus itself would have enough space left for a kitchen area, a living “room,” and a bathroom.

When everything was ready, John and Hannah decided to see for themselves what living inside Hinterlandes felt like. They still consider those nine months totally off-grid as one of the best times of their lives. And all the future guests apparently felt something similar because the old American bus has become a popular retreat in the beautiful Lake District, UK.

Luckily not just for them but also for the Blue Bird itself, this atypical accommodation continues to stay mobile. You won’t see it hitting the roads like it once did, but it changes location every 28 days within a certain area in the Lake District, which means fresh views and exciting discoveries every time.

Hinterlandes Bus
Photo: Facebook/Hinterlandes
Many will love Hinterlandes for being 100% off-grid. There’s no electricity and no TV, and all the basics for simple living and camping are supplied. Fully insulated and fitted with two wood-burning stoves, it can function as a home in any weather.

At the same time, the former school bus is packed with unexpected luxuries. A modern bathroom inside is fitted with a shower and a compost toilet, a well-equipped kitchen is ready for serious cooking, and a private wood-fired hot tub waits patiently outside.

Although it looks rough and rugged on the outside, and its off-grid spirit makes it even tougher, Hinterlandes is also remarkably stylish and cozy. Once you enter, either through the back or the side door, you’ll discover a rustic wonderland with tiny treasures throughout – a vintage machinist light, vintage headlights from a German cargo ship, and door handles salvaged from an old, famous hotel.

The oak flooring is also reclaimed from a Birmingham school, and local larch and sycamore were used for the carpentry. These sustainable features are seamlessly blended with modern luxuries such as Egyptian cotton sheets, duck-feather cushions and duvets, premium kitchen utensils, a hoover, and a Bluetooth sound system.

Hinterlandes Bus
Photo: Facebook/Hinterlandes
Thanks to the clever “hybridization,” the Hinterlandes boasts a full kitchen, a comfortable living area with a fireplace, and a marbled bathroom, while the two-person bedroom sits separately, on top.

Even the ladder that leads to the VW camper-turned-bedroom is atypical. It’s fitted with pulleys and cables so that it can come down when it’s time to climb upstairs and go up during the day for convenience. The quirky bedroom (basically, the campervan’s shell) is only big enough for the generous bed and tiny lights, but it offers the unique advantage of glorious views throughout.

A successful DIY project, Hinterlandes has the potential to become iconic. Its owners wanted to create something “luxurious in its simplicity,” away from the city noise, but also as comfortable as possible. And it looks like they made it.
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About the author: Otilia Drăgan
Otilia Drăgan profile photo

Otilia believes that if it’s eco, green, or groundbreaking, people should know about it (especially if it's got wheels or wings). Working in online media for over five years, she's gained a deeper perspective on how people everywhere can inspire each other.
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