We’re off on heliday!
Sea King chopper converted into luxury getaway accommodation
WHEN it comes to the holiday high life, few have hit upon a more uplifting idea for a getaway destination than Martyn Steedman and his wife Louise.
The Stirlingshire farmers have pressed a retired Royal Navy searchand-rescue helicopter back into service for holidaymakers looking for a thrilling place to sleep.
After buying the Westland Sea King in an MoD auction, the couple spent nearly £40,000 converting it into an aviating glamper’s dream.
The exterior has been restored to its former glory, with many of the Sea King’s original features being retained.
The real triumph is the helicopter’s interior, which has been transformed into a holiday home that will fit a family of six –
‘A new life in the country’
with a double and a triple bed and even room for a single bed in the tail.
The focal point is the cockpit where guests can enjoy panoramic views over the Stirlingshire countryside. The flight deck has been fitted with swivel seats and a table decorated with an RAF roundel, but many of the original lighting and panels have been kept and restored.
The helicopter’s sonar station has been removed and donated to The Helicopter Museum in Westonsuper-Mare, Somerset, to make way for the shower and mini-kitchen.
Mr and Mrs Steedman, who already had glamping wigwams on their farm, came up with the novel idea after seeing a flypast of Sea Kings at Stirling to mark the retirement of the whole fleet this year.
The 56ft-long aircraft was retired from active service in 1994 but was used in naval training until 2002.
In April, it made a final 320-mile journey by road from Grantham, Lincolnshire, to its new home at Mains Farm Wigwams, on the outskirts of the village of Thornhill near Stirling. Mrs Steedman said: ‘We saw [Sea Kings] on the telly flying around Scotland doing their farewell tour and we said it would be great to have one.
‘I thought he was joking at first but Martyn said he had made a bid. We still couldn’t believe that we’d got one until it arrived.’
Mr Steedman, who bought a Haynes manual to help him restore the Sea King, said: ‘We couldn’t bear to see these much-loved helicopters go on the scrap heap and thought, why not give one a new life in the country?
‘We’ve retained the original dashboard, roof panel switches and foot pedals, so customers can experience the helicopter as she once was and pretend they are flying her on a mission.’
Mrs Steedman said: ‘Farm diversification is pretty commonplace these days, with everything from farm shops to tourist attractions popping up all over the countryside.
‘Finding a niche can be tricky but we believe this helicopter conversion will be truly innovative.’
The new accommodation is expected to welcome guests from spring next year with prices from £150 per night for couples. The helicopter also promises to be the ultimate ‘boy’s toy’ for the couple’s sons Josh, 13, and Harry, nine, who are more familiar with farming than flying. Harry said: ‘When dad told us what he had bought, we thought he was joking. We can’t wait for our first night on board.’
Paul Southering, of Witham Specialist Vehicles, which sold the aircraft on behalf of the MoD, said: ‘They are being sold for upmarket garden sheds or man caves.
‘The sky’s the limit with what you can do.’