I was mesmerised by the traditional 'Bow-Top' Gypsy Caravan design - also known as a 'vardo' - the first time I saw it.

Having worked with wood for most of my adult life, I decided I wanted to build my own, which I did earlier this year and I have been living in it since July 2009. Life has been busy since then so it's not quite finished on the outside in these pictures, and the inside still needs a small kitchen and a wood burning stove, but the rest is coming together now that the hustle and bustle of the summer has passed.

Traditionally, these are built on a Dray, which is a wooden flat-bed cart with large wooden wheels and other fittings to allow it to be pulled by a horse. The beauty of building on a caravan chassis/trailer is that you don't need to have a horse to move the caravan around - it will hitch up to any car capable of towing a smallish caravan so you can tow it with you wherever you like. However, the caravan is built in such a way that if necessary it could be lifted off the chassis and transplanted onto a dray without too much extra work at some point in the future.

If you're interested in having one of these, I can make them to order for considerably less than the price of a brand new conventional caravan of similar size. Please use the contact form.

If you're interested in the construction of this caravan, please check the blog link at the top of this page.