Living in a Series III
Meet the woman who explores the world in her leaf-sprung home-from-home
Normally found in remote places across the globe in search of nomadic souls, the pandemic has brought Cat Vinton closer to home. In an exclusive interview Louise Woodhams finds out how exploring Cornwall in a Land Rover during a time of restricted movement has in fact given her freedom
CAT Vinton is an adventure and ethnographic photographer, which basically means she has a curiosity for humanity and for the people who roam the very farthest corners of the Earth coexisting in harmony with nature. Her love of photography began as a child and a certain neighbour who was a snapper for the Sunday Times. She would spend hours poring over his collection of photography books which ranged from war torn landscapes to glamorous celebrities and migrant workers across the globe. Coupled with the fact that her house was full every summer with foreign students learning English, further feeding her curiosity for other cultures, at the tender age of 16 she left her quiet village streets of central England for the big smoke to attend art school in London. After graduating with a BA Honours she left the UK to work in the People’s Democratic Republic of Lao photographing stories for the United Nations and Redd Barna (Save the Children Norway) for two years.
This is also when her nomadic journey began and has become her life project ever since – roaming across planet Earth, from the Himalayas to the Arctic Circle, the Gobi Desert to the Andaman Seas.
The last year or so however has been a very different story. Cat explains: “As the world locked down in March, 2020, both my work and my entire way of life ground to a quiet halt, forcing me to look inward and to grapple with the meaning of home. My pull was to the south-west of England. Thanks to a friend, I spent the first lockdown watching over a wild pocket of the north Cornish coast at Kudhva – off-grid hideouts set in a 45 acre abandoned quarry."
As the lockdown came to an end the architectural cabins at Trebarwith Strand started to welcome people back and so Cat decided it was time to move on. “This was a gift of time that I might not have ever had again. I had my cameras and my family’s Series III 88in soft-top that could get me off the beaten track – it was the perfect companion to explore the Cornish coast to see if I could find areas of solitude, as the tourist floodgates opened. Cornwall has always felt like a haven to me, but even more so now with its reward of space, fresh air, ocean and local produce far from the hustle of city life.”
And while she spent over eight months in Cornwall – the longest she has been in one place for many years – thanks to the Land Rover she still managed to move around and find freedom in the beauty of Cornwall’s coastal landscape and environment. “To have lived through the seasons, entirely off-grid, and also meet so many like-minded people has connected me to this incredible part of the UK more deeply.”
Best of all she found her home – in the form of the Land Rover, which she transformed into a very simple rig. “A friend helped me cover the open back with a piece of wood that doubled as a table and my bed. I had a small pile of books stacked between the seats, and a head torch, tide tables, bikini and my knife to hand. Everything else I needed was packed neatly in the back, including a gas stove, Yeti cool box and small bag of clothes. I was free, independent and happy.”
The Land Rover has actually been in Cat’s family for about 25 years. This Cornish adventure is the first back on UK soil after the car was imported back from Italy in 2019 where it had lived for 15 years. Originally supplied to the Royal Navy in 1984, Bill Marsden (Cat’s step-dad) became the third owner in 1996 when it was bought for her step-brother to learn to drive in. Cat reveals that it was in pretty reasonable condition with around 60,000 miles on the clock.
Perhaps, rather fortunately for Cat, on the Land Rover’s return to England, the 2.5 diesel engine underwent a great deal of renovation work, and it didn’t put a wheel wrong during her time in Cornwall. “She’s the best – simple and can go anywhere. I wouldn’t say it’s exactly comfortable and she’s a bit thirsty, but I wouldn’t trade her for anything else.”
As you might have guessed, having learnt a bit about Cat now, she had no real plan when it came to exploring the Cornish way of life. From Kudhva she simply set off west along the north coast to Pendeen, around the Penwith Peninsular and the Lizard, up the Roseland Heritage Coast and on to Mevagissey, five miles south of St Austell. She explored, swum, climbed, walked and read – falling into the pace of coastal life.
“As my days slowed, I noticed every detail in the shifting light, the sounds, smells and colours, and found myself tuned into the tidal rhythm, mesmerised by the waves that roll in perfect lines. It was great to make connections and work with people who share the same values as I do, people who have made a home on this coast and who are passionately driven to protecting the ocean and the land. I collaborated on projects with Kudhva, Finisterre (a sustainable outdoor brand), Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), explorer Robin Hanbury-tenison and the two young women behind The Right To Roam films.”
She also took pleasure in spotting the wildlife, including pilot whales, dolphins, seals, barn owls, kestrels, peregrines and choughs, and, of course, the scenery. Be it the slate and granite cliffs, small rocky coves and headlands, sand dunes, reefs, woodland valleys or picturesque fishing villages. And this was all possible because of Cat’s mobile home – thanks to the Land Rover every day was different. “People loved her – no one really believed I was living in her, but that was half the point – a super basic, unassuming rig. I could park anywhere and every farmer in Cornwall gave me the nod. I found so many empty and hidden pockets of Kernow.
“Following the coastline in Cornwall you get to witness how the sea changes every day, every hour, every minute, as do our emotions, energy and perspectives. It feels like a lesson – a constant reminder that we are a part of nature, not separated from it. There’s something incredibly powerful about living so close to the elements. I think it’s something we miss living inside closed walls.”
I think we can all agree with that, especially as we all struggle in one way or another during what is now our nation’s third national lockdown. And as owners of Land Rovers we also know the power of being in the natural world, as Cat says, being immersed in the elements is where you find your energy and your balance, gives you a sense of purpose.
It wasn’t all romanticism however, for towards the end of August, wind and driving rain whipped the canvas covering of the old Land Rover. “For ten days straight storms Ellen and Francis raged across the ocean, and swirled around the edge of the land – everything was totally soaked and remained like that for many days, but it didn’t really faze me!
“As my days slowed, I noticed every detail in the shifting light, the sounds, smells and colours, and found myself tuned into the tidal rhythm"
If anything, it made me appreciate everything – especially how privileged I am to be able to make the choice to live like this. It’s not the easiest way to live and not what most people would choose either – but it’s stripped back, simple and connected, and one I love.”
With new rules that have restricted free movement, I’m keen to ask Cat what lessons she thinks we’ve learnt? “With a future that is unknown and precarious, I think it has forced many of us to rethink our pace of life, our relationship to nature, what we really need to be happy and fulfilled, and how we will live our lives on the other side of this.
“My only fear is that we just return to ‘normal’. We’ve known for a long time that things aren’t right; our society as we know it is under strain. We’ve become a nation of hyper-consumers in a fast-paced, wasteful culture. We exploit nature and fail one other. I hope more than anything that we have learned something from all of this and that we question our own impact on the planet.”
Wise words indeed! So what’s next for Cat other than trying to practice what she preaches? “I’ve travelled the world on projects but never with my own vehicle. I have loved living and travelling with the Land Rover all over Cornwall. It reminded me of when we had her in Italy; I would take her off for weeks at a time exploring the countryside and coast, and wild camping.
“I would now love to do more adventures in the Land Rover – first though I would need work on my set up and add solar charging for my cameras and computer, as well as change my sleeping arrangements so I can stretch my legs out straight! Otherwise she’s perfect the way she is.”
She sure is. As the car maker said themselves at the time this one was built it’s the best ‘4x4xfar’ and it’s at home most when demonstrating its off-road capabilities, just as Cat is at home when she immerses herself in the nomadic way of life.
"I hope more than anything that we have learned something from all of this and that we question our own impact on the planet"