Space-age caravan has landed

THE CAPSULES THAT COULD REPLACE THE HUMBLE CARAVAN

- By JOANNE RIDOUT

SO many of us have spent a wet and windy weekend somewhere in a rusty old static caravan, wondering where the next leak is going to spring up and maybe even if the van will be going airborne any minute like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, thanks to a strong gust of wind.

But a million miles from this nightmare scenario is a new line of caravans that some, at first glance, might even call space-age.

One has landed as a 'show van' at a site on Anglesey, and how many local people meandering past in their cars or bikes have done a massive double-take as this surprise addition to the landscape emerges on the horizon?

It's a new age of caravan that is so fancy a stay inside one feels like you're in a luxury hotel, according to Craig Ledwards who has just begun importing these incredible alternatives to the classic, tinny van that's tight on space and style.

It's not the first time Craig has ventured into groundbreaking ways to create space that is not the traditional bricks and mortar construction, having spent many years buying and converting old shipping containers.

'Container Craig', who has spent his working life in the construction industry, began his love affair with this unlikely metal box after working with and seeing CIMC-MBS, the largest shipping container manufacturer in China, creating incredible structures from this versatile product.

Craig, originally from Nantwich but now based on Anglesey, says: "The containers let your imagination run free because you can do whatever you like with these things, you can stack them high, you can make them wide, whatever you can imagine really."

Over the years, Craig has transformed containers to provide home offices, multi-generational annexe units for families, extra space for businesses, amazing hotels made by stacking the containers, and even a community project on Anglesey.