Romany Pirates

Romany Pirates have spent over a decade living life on the road, guided by freedom, creativity, and simplicity. Their Ford Transit, Romany, is a hand-built cabin on wheels — now a warm, soulful home thanks to Little Lenny.

What is one item you can't live without in your tiny home?

It was Gretel the kettle — but now it’s 100% Little Lenny!

Does your van have a name? What van/tiny home do you have?

We have a Ford Transit medium roof long wheel base named Romany. She is our little cabin on wheels and now thanks to Little Lenny, she is a toastie warm cabin on wheels.

What inspired you to embrace the tiny living lifestyle?

In a word FREEDOM. Living tiny gives you a bigger space in your mind and heart. It allows you freedom to make choices about how and when you want to work because your lifestyle costs less. It also allows us to travel and wake up in surroundings we could only ever have dreamed of if we were to buy a house in those areas. It also has encouraged our creativity without TV and having less stress in our lives.

What's your favourite place you've discovered?

We love Europe in particular Andalusia, though there are many amazing places in the UK too. We love a beech or forest view but there’s too many to mention

Best advice for someone thinking about downsizing?

Just do it!

Has living tiny changed your perspective on what is important?

Absolutely! It makes you prioritise different things in life. You purchase with purpose and everything has more than one use. You appreciate even the basic things such as water and heating. And you learn to value nature and your own time much more than ever before. We have also learned to appreciate friendships differently. You meet people on the road that you rarely see again but they can have such a big impact on your life in just those few moments.

What's the biggest challenge you faced living in a small space? How did you overcome it?

Storage. We love our clothes. Clothes are like an artistic expression of who we are and we really like to collect unique hand made items of clothing. We have recently redesigned our storage using vintage suitcases. To give us a practical but aesthetic storage solution.

How has Little Lenny changed vanlife?

First time in 13 years we have heating and it’s amazing. It’s helped my pain that I have due to autoimmune issues and I can go to bed in a cosy and dry space, much less condensation. But it’s the feel it gives you too. We have redesigned quite a bit of our van since fitting it to really centre around Lenny because it’s so cozy and feels more like a real home.

How has having a burner influenced your daily routine or lifestyle?

We are rubbish at planning so we are having to learn to be more prepared with having wood on board… it might take us a while lol. But Reese loves the routine of getting Lenny up n running on a morning and getting the van cozy in the evening while we prepare tea. It’s really interactive and feels like you are at one with nature, I guess it’s a kind of a primal feeling. And now we have to sit with our little dog Daisy on the sofa because she loves the heat and will no longer put up with been in her bed on the floor lol.

What’s the most creative solution you’ve come up with to solve a tiny living challenge?

We’ve had many different beds in vans over the years. We wanted a fixed bed but didn’t want it taking up space in the day and didn’t want to see it during the day. Mainly because it stops your tiny home feeling like a living room when you have a visible bed and it feels smaller and more like a van with everything in one space. Plus we hate making the bed and keeping it tidy. So, we designed a bed that folds down from behind a wall and takes up only 3ft of the back of the van when folded away, creating the false wooden wall of the kitchen. But when it is let down, we have a super size bed that sleeps long ways and is about 5ft 5inches wide and over 6ft long. We believe we are the only van to have this design as we have never seen it anywhere else.

Do you have any special recipes or cooking tips?

Yes… don’t let Reese cook for you lol. Seriously though. Since getting Little Lenny we have cooked jacket potatoes, toasties, sausages and even an Apple strudel on him. So my tip is utilise the heat from him and enjoy cooking in a way we were meant to, through a fire rather than a gas cooker. It’s much more fun.

How do you balance adventure and routine while living on the road or in a small home?

We don’t really have routine other than feeding our little dog as she’s very demanding but we take each day as it comes and decide on the spur of the moment. We fit in what we need to do when we feel like we want to do it…..Hence filling this out at 1am lol

What’s a typical day like for you in your tiny home or van?

We get up hopefully before 10am and Reese walks Daisy while I get moving (not great with illness and pain in a morning). Reese gets Little Lenny going and I get a brew on. Then the rest of the day is decided over a coffee. Life is full of adventure and challenges and new opportunities each day, so we basically wing it.

What advice would you give to someone new to vanlife or tiny living looking to make their space feel like home?

Firstly do not rush. Let your van grow with you so you know how you need to use your space. Don’t try to be instagram perfect. Just let your space represent who you are. Make it cozy with a Little Lenny and fairy lights. I like lots of wood and a cottage hap hazard feel. I love fabrics and texture. And I like earth colours. But you need to do what makes you feel cozy. I do think that if you can, having designated spaces for eating, living and sleeping, makes it feel more like a home and less like a van. Don’t be afraid to have your special little things around you and collect memories. Living tiny and minimal is about having what is useful but not doing without what is personal to you.

I guess it’s the realisation that you don’t need as much stuff and you don’t need all the gadgets in a house but you can still have your special things around you and you can live with less and appreciate more.

What’s your favourite way to make the most of limited space while still feeling at home?

We love fabrics, clothes and particularly hats. So we display these as part of our decor and this makes us feel at home and like our tiny cabin on wheels represents us. Not everyone would love it or even be able to live in it, but that’s fine because it’s ours and we love it. It’s great to be able to be at home, wherever we are, any town, city or country, we have our home right there with us.

Do you have any other heating sources in your tiny home?

We have an electric blanket, 12v that we use on the floor as underfloor heating and this is great for when you wake up if it’s really cold.

Festivals you love? Or on the bucket list?

We love the pirate festivals, and a variety of Spanish street fiestas!

Favourite YouTubers, blogs?

We have recently taken to watching Nomad Sam, he lives in the woods and on beaches etc and lives at one with nature. He’s a real inspiration.

Anything else you'd like to add?

It was great to meet Phoebe and Craig and to see what can be achieved when you follow your passion. They are a real inspiration. Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams and make them happen. You don’t have to know where you’re going or how you’re going to get there, just enjoy the journey. The most interesting people are those who don’t know who they are or what they want out of life at 85 years old but they’ve spent their life enjoying trying to figure it out. Always be you and write your own story!