This Is Radagast, the Most Magical and Absolutely Incredible Stealth Van Conversion

Radagast is Radagast the Brown, the woodland wizard from the Lord of the Rings fictional universe (both in the books and the films). Radagast is also the most magical and incredible van conversion you're likely to see all week, and we're not saying that lightly.

There are stealth van conversions in this world, many of them DIY (do it yourself) projects, and then there's Radagast, the ultimate stealth van. That's not an official title, but bear with us, and you'll see it should be.

From the outside, Radagast is a 3.5-ton Citroen Luton van with an extra-long wheelbase, not in the least remarkable except for the fact that it's parked in a wood reservation in Devon, England. It even bears the original exterior paint, so, by all signs, it could be a compact cargo van with one of those cabover high tops.

Step inside, though, and you will come across a truly magical space created by hand by local artist Glen Michael Herbert. Herbert is a retired policeman and a lifelong artist who got into woodworking a little over a decade ago.

For the past five years, he's been using his carving skills to create his perfect dream home, the beautiful van conversion he calls Radagast. It's partly inspired by the Lord of the Rings mythology and part childhood fantasy gone wild – in the best sense possible.

The breakup of a marriage is always a transitional process that often becomes life-changing. For Herbet, it was the "now or never" moment for his dream van conversion. Forced to look for new lodgings, he realized he might never build the van he'd been fantasizing about if he went ahead and bought a new house, so he took the proverbial leap of faith and got to work.

Radagast is still a work in progress, so Herbert can't say how much the conversion will end up taking him. But he did say this in past interviews: he bought the Luton van in 2017 and worked for nine months full-time to get it into a state in which he could call it livable while he continued working. He's been living in it since 2019 and traveling with it on occasion to all kinds of fairs and gatherings.

Radagast is also an international celebrity, having been featured in traditional media and online on various channels focusing on tiny living and mobile homes. Herbert is often using it to promote his wood art, which is to be expected; when you have a home that packs your best works, it's a rolling billboard for it.

More relevant to our interests, though, is that Radagast is a perfect mobile home, with all the creature comforts of a home and features that render it perfect as a permanent residence in the fickle and notoriously damp British weather. It features polystyrene wrapped in silver bubble wrap and encased in 3-mm ply for insulation, a wood-burning stove for heating, and roof-mounted solar cells to run appliances.

The interior layout is simple but suitable for a single occupant. There's a wet bathroom right off the entrance to the left, with a gorgeous foam showerboard that imitates stone and a cassette toilet, a full kitchen, a living room area that can turn into a guest bedroom if need be, and the main sleeping space in the cabover area.

Enumerated like that, Radagast comes across as your standard van conversion, but there's absolutely nothing standard about it. Everything from the gorgeous plywood entry door to the more recent pair of dragons guarding the bed and the intricate cabinetry doors with colored acetate bespeaks incredible talent, unlimited imagination, and many hours in the shop. Plus, the space is truly cozy, with a decided log cabin vibe.

Herbert gave his home a refurb in 2022, putting in a new floor, adding the dragons and an owl in the kitchen, extra storage, and replacing the door and the adjacent walls with a more intricate piece. He also put in a skylight and added more solar, so he can now use a 12V slow cooker. He's still forced to unplug the fridge in the winter because there's not enough sunlight to charge the battery.

In previous interviews, Herbert estimated he'd spent about £22,000 ($26,800 at the current exchange rate) on Radagast. This included the van, which he bought new so he could have a reliable base for what he considers his forever home, and the professionals he brought in for the electrical system and the water heater.

However, in a more recent statement, he says the figure is closer to £30,000 ($36,600), and it obviously doesn't include the countless hours he's spent on each piece that makes up his magical mini-universe, like his new favorite carving of a dragon named Bolton. And, while Herbert is the first to say that vanlife is neither easy nor for everyone, he has no regrets about making the switch.

If you see the magical place he created, you will understand why.

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