‘I quit London to live in a van by the coast – now I spend £10 at weekends’

A woman who swapped the frenetic pace of London for campervan living in Devon claims she can enjoy the “time of her life” at weekends for a mere £10. Suzy Greenwood, 39, had dedicated 15 years to establishing her PR career when the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020.

During lockdown, Suzy found herself staying with relatives in Devon, only to be confronted with returning to her Shepherd’s Bush flat once restrictions eased. It was at this point, she reveals, that she recognised she had “fallen out of love” with London. Suzy acknowledges her twenties in the capital were “great” but as she matured, her circle of friends began settling down. Writing in the Independent, she explained she was “no longer doing the things I loved” in London.

Rather, her weekends were increasingly spent travelling to the coastline after “falling in love with the lifestyle” throughout lockdown. Suzy extolled the virtues of the “beautiful” South Hams, where she had stayed at her grandparents’ B&B in 2020.

Having developed a deep affection for Devon, she chose to sell her two-bedroom flat and purchase the family business. Initially, she endured a “slightly strange two years” residing in an annexe attached to the property.

Ultimately, she opted to convert the B&B, previously a bungalow, into a guest house featuring two hot tubs. With her life savings exhausted on the renovation, Suzy recognised the need for additional income, prompting her to rent out her annexe.

She purchased a campervan, a converted Volkswagen Caddy, which featured a laptop table and a shower. She explains: “The van itself is tiny, which is great because I can park up anywhere. It looks like a workman’s van, so I can sleep in a lay-by, or at beautiful spots overlooking the sea.”

However, one drawback is that Suzy occasionally finds herself alone in some “fairly sketchy areas”. Though she notes nothing “terrible has happened” during her travels in the van.

She has since enjoyed “so many adventures” on the road in her VW Caddy. These include completing the entire South West Coast Path on foot, taking dips in the sea, and even trying her hand at fishing.

Beyond her lifestyle transformation, Suzy says her financial situation has changed dramatically since the move.

She continued: “Where I once spent maybe £200 on a fancy dinner, I can now spend £10 on a whole weekend and be having the time of my life. The life I live now really doesn’t cost very much at all.”

Before making the change, Suzy had concerns about forming new friendships in her thirties. Whilst she feared she would be “lonely”, she confesses she “couldn’t have been more wrong”.

She now counts a “diverse group of people” as friends, whom she has encountered through yoga, hiking, and even sea swimming.

Suzy acknowledges there was some risk involved when she initially left her PR position to work remotely in Devon, but is now getting ready to abandon her “corporate” career entirely and dedicate herself full-time to running her guest house.