Glamping Adventures with Johnny Vegas: A Tent-Tastic Journey

In the world of running your own business, there are always surprises waiting to unfold. One such delightful surprise came in 2022 in the form of a phone call from none other than utterly hilarious comedian Johnny Vegas saying he'd been signposted to our gorgeous glawnings in the hope of providing some luxurious extra space for an assortment of upcycled glamping vehicles on his Field of Dreams glampsite for a programme called Carry On Glamping on Channel 4.  

As a huge fan of his comedic work (anyone else reared on Shooting Stars?!) and of glamping and of vintage vehicles we couldn't help but jump at the chance to work with Johnny Vegas, renowned for his shouty humour and zest for life. The prospect of providing glawnings for his glamping escapades seemed like the perfect marriage of practicality and hilarity. Little did we know just how much fun lay ahead. Collaborating with this irrepressibly funny 'ideas man' has been a rollercoaster of belly laughs and hard graft as we put up several glawnings on the glampsite at Breaksfold Farm, Harrogate and then again at the new venue of Melbourne Hall, Derbyshire. It was always a fantastic opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes in the world of filming a Channel 4 documentary. Binge watch the current series here like we did for a delve into the incredible journey he goes on to secure then convert all of these scrap vehicles into amazing glamping spaces for hire (with a little bit of help from his friends!).

As avid campers and outdoor enthusiasts we created the glawning for exactly this purpose: to add extra beautiful space on to an already beautiful vehicle and transform camping into glamping.

The premise of Carry On Glamping was far from simple but thoroughly ingenious and to have pulled it off so successfully is no mean feat: Johnny Vegas, armed with nothing more than his infectious personality and pipe dreams traverses the countryside along with his assistant Bev (lovely lovely Bev!) in search of picturesque land to host his new glampsite. Johnny had his sights set on glamorizing the experience to the nth degree by setting up a luxurious campsite complete with all the amenities one could desire, and glamping accomodation like no other. Many a set back ensues and he almost gives up. It's harder than you think!

It all came good in the end though and we succeeded in equipping Johnny with the finest tents capable of fitting snugly to the old vehicles he did up throughout the series: our glawnings. They'll attach to anything - even the old classic Citroen camper and German fire truck at Field of Dreams. They've were then decked out as a luxurious relaxing space for guests to enjoy.There's even a Chesterfield sofa in one of them!

Collaborating closely with Johnny and his team, was an absolute joy and we loved imbuing his gorgeous vehicles with an air of extravagance befitting the glamping ethos and providing comfort and shelter in equal measure for his glamping guests. When Johnny mentioned he had a mate coming to stay on Patricia the bus that evening we thought nothing of it but it turned out to be Jason Manford and his family!

Watch Series 2 of Johnny's glamping odyssey on Channel 4 on Wednesdays starting 24 January 2024 as he moves his glampsite south and adds more vehicles to his arsenal enduring the inevitable mishaps along the way - none quite so dramatic as crashing Patricia the bus into a barn in Series 1 however!

Johnny and Bev are a joy to work with. Johnny is as funny off screen as he is on. Bev is one of the loveliest human beings we've ever had the pleasure of meeting. 

So here's to Johnny Vegas, the ultimate glamping aficionado, it was an absolute pleasure! Happy glamping!

Glamping at the new Field of Dreams site at Melbourne Hall can be booked here

For more info about our driveaway awnings and fitting them to any leisure or glamping vehicle please visit our website

 Follow more of our adventures with Vegas here on YouTube and TikTok