ALL ABOARD THE MAGIC BUS

WITH A LOT OF INGENUITY AND SOME CLEVER SALVAGING AND SOURCING, LAYLA AND ROB ROBINSON RESCUED AN OLD BUS AND CONVERTED IT INTO A COSY AND STYLISH BOLTHOLE

Adesire 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 floor 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 »

“EVEN THE DULLEST WEATHER NEVER STOPS YOU LOOKING OUT ACROSS THIS INCREDIBLE ROLLING LANDSCAPE”

roof windows, which were still intact, and restoring the wood and paintwork as close to the original colours as possible. Once all of this was accomplished, the bus was rolled out of the barn and into the spot in the garden with the best views.

THE INTERIOR TAKES SHAPE

When it came to the interior, Layla and Rob zoned the space to create dining/ kitchen, sleeping and sitting areas. Bespoke units and furniture sympathetic to the vintage features were then fitted and painted in soft, neutral tones from Little Greene. The hand-built kitchen units, seating and bed were built from recycled wood sourced from house clearances, or from off-cuts bought from the saw mill at the bottom of their road. The appliances and wood burner, inherited from Rob’s grandmother’s mobile home, were squeezed into the meticulously designed layout. Clever storage details, such as the shelves made with rope and hooks above the sink, and a towel rail fashioned from a branch, added practicality as well as charm.

FINISHING TOUCHES

Once the kitchen and fitted furniture were complete, Layla trawled through the many antique and junk shops in Hay-on-Wye in search of colourful and pastel vintage soft furnishings, pottery and enamelware. “We also worked with local artisans to give the bus a unique feel,” says Layla. “The Old Electric Shop in Hay-on-Wye was a good source of pottery, artwork, fabrics and tiles. It wasn’t until we applied the last lick of paint, and all the soft furnishings were in place, that it all came together. We’re really proud of how it’s turned out.”

The bus has proved to be a very special place for guests to enjoy. In fact, the couple have bought another wreck of a bus (even older), which is awaiting its makeover. For more information about staying in the Majestic Bus, visit majesticbus.co.uk or call 01497 831733.

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 find

LAYLA AND ROB Layla runs a wild florist’s and Rob runs a landscape gardening business. They live in the Herefordshire borders of Wales with their children, Matilda, ten; Marigold, eight, and Meredith, three.

The dining table is built around the original Bakelite steering wheel, with handmade cupboards painted in Little Greene’s Aquamarine Mid Colour tying in with the soft pastel scheme of the interior. Layla bought the enamelware at Labour and Wait, and the 1960s chairs at Hay-on-Wye market

A 1920s corrugated iron barn houses the bus’s bathroom, which has a roll-top bath and classic 1950s sink, found at a friend’s house clearance. There’s also a 1960s wood burner in the barn to keep out the chill in winter. Opposite: in the renovated bus, the original skylights let in beautiful light during the day and allow for sheltered stargazing by night; the windows at the back, meanwhile, have been enlarged to make the most of the light and views