Stargazer – 2 Berth Campervan

As a first time campervan hirer, I was a little (!) nervous but David was super helpful in the run up to collection day. And when I arrived I had a thorough introduction to the clever features. Stargazer is really easy and comfortable to drive and I spent a very happy few days in the Peak District camping off grid. I would happily recommend it to anyone looking for a compact campervan with all the features you could hope for. August 2023

We just finished our top-of-the-bucket-list trip of exploring the UK and Ireland by RV for a month and a half. There were a large variety of RVs available to rent, but choosing to do it in Stargazer was the absolute best decision we ever could have made. We’re a retired senior couple (ages 72 and 62) who love to explore the US by RV. We had truck campers, motorhomes, and a trailer while the kids were at home, but now that it’s just the two of us our touring rig of choice is a truck camper - because of the convenience and freedom to go absolutely anywhere the smaller size allows. With the narrow roads in the UK we specifically did not want to rent a motorhome due to their width, so in planning our trip we focused just on the campervan market. We happily came to realize after a couple weeks in Stargazer that since he’s a custom, professionally converted Renault utility van he’s both shorter and narrower than most of the campervans we saw. You can read all about his features in David’s description so I won’t repeat them here, but it astounded us how Simon of Greenline Leisure Vehicles designed and custom-fit everything he did into a package that’s the same length as our Toyota minivan (16ft) at home. Stargazer was perfectly suited for the kind of touring that we like to do: easy, convenient, and hassle-free – and with no set schedule where we had to “check-in” someplace by a certain time each night. It was fun and easy to drive and park anywhere we wanted, and super easy to convert between daytime travel mode and nighttime sleeping mode. (Tip: we found the park4night app indispensable for finding unbelievable wild camping/boondocking spots to overnight for free. We became spoiled by the many fantastic campsites we discovered with park4night – with most either along the water or with beautiful water views. Even our inland wild campsites had knockout views. It was almost a disappointment for us when we had to get a campground for the night – which we did about every 4th night to shower and empty/refill holding tanks – because they rarely have the stunning views we could find on our own with park4night.) After spending a month and a half in Stargazer exploring England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, our favorite things about him are: being able to fit into virtually any parking spot that a car could fit into (we weren’t relegated to oversize/motorhome parking lots and rarely had to pass-up a parking space because we couldn’t fit); plenty of headroom for both of us to stand up (we’re 5’11” and 5’6”…no crouching necessary!); a slide-out/stash-away toilet in the back with privacy door; a good sized frig/freezer with ample space for food and beverages; conveniently-located courtesy lights and USB ports; economical diesel motor with plenty of pickup for passing and power for pulling hills; excellent 180-degree sideview mirrors; and awesome blackout shades for sleeping. For a balanced review I’d offer-up Stargazer’s negatives…but I honestly can’t think of a single one! David and Nicky were very gracious and accommodating hosts, and since they’re passionate campervanners themselves they know personally what things matter to their guests. They quickly responded to our questions during the rental setup process; gave us a number of helpful trip planning suggestions; picked-up and returned us to the train station nearest their home (Keighley); had us in for tea to hear about our trip; and stored our suitcases for us while we were touring so they didn’t take up space in Stargazer. And David even stopped on the way to the train station to let us get out and take pictures of his neighbor’s Highland cattle. (We were disappointed that we only saw a few of them on our entire tour, and here there were six in his own back yard…including three playful calves!) David and Nicky are wonderful, down-to-earth folks who genuinely care that their guests have the best possible experience…and we absolutely did. We can’t say enough about how awesome our Stargazer rental experience was. It’s perfectly suited for those who are familiar and comfortable with traveling in smaller RVs (particularly since you already know the most important logistical rule…only one person up and in the aisle at a time!). So for those travelers who like complete traveling freedom and like to explore simply and economically, we highly recommend Stargazer to “coddiwomple” in the UK (look it up…it’s a good thing). Cheers mates! Tom & Patti (Kennewick, WA USA) July 2023