David turns 58, Alison attempts a lemon drizzle cake with catastrophic consequences, and we dig around in the Dead Good Ideas Graveyard.

Harveste is back, this time starting with a simple map of honesty boxes before we attempt anything resembling global vegetable domination. We talk about wasted fruit in Portugal, two days spent trying to put one pin on a map, why we finally decided to build it ourselves, and another old project called Stomplings that might eventually escape the graveyard too.

There’s also Beyla’s Beasts, Wolf stealing the show, reducing the kids’ YouTube diet, Scottish midges, Alison knitting two socks at once, and the increasingly exciting prospect of getting back to our mountain in Portugal.

No script. Very little sleep. Ten bullet points and the usual rhubarb.

The Van Table · Series 1 · Episode 7

Episode 6: We’ve Rebuilt Our Campervan Six Times

Three years, six different layouts, and a considerable number of ideas that seemed absolutely brilliant at the time.

In this episode of The Van Table, we talk through the many versions of our Mercedes Sprinter campervan, what worked, what definitely didn’t, and the ideas that eventually ended up in the Dead Good Ideas Graveyard.

From trying to squeeze six people and all our worldly possessions into one van, to beds, storage, seating and the endless business of making a tiny space actually work for a family.

As usual, we wander off course occasionally. But that’s half the point.

Grab a brew and gather round The Van Table.

Can you really buy a house in Portugal for €20,000? Yes. But finding a cheap property is only the beginning.

In Episode 5 of The Van Table, Alison and I talk about what we’ve learned from actually buying property in rural Portugal, including our mountain and our village house.

We talk about €8,000 houses, €12,000 ruins, an €18,000 shop with three floors above it, where cheap Portuguese properties actually turn up, and why getting to know people locally can completely change what you find.

Then there’s the bit that doesn’t normally make the property videos: what happens after you’ve bought it.

Water, solar power, rural access, renovation, woodworm, fire season, builders who may or may not appear, Amazon deliveries that may or may not arrive, and the joy of discovering that the screws you need are a 40-minute drive away.

We also talk about our experience buying through Melanie at Home Key Portugal, NIF numbers, rural versus urban property, renovation and planning, and what our own purchase actually cost us.

And after everything we’ve learned, the storms, the work and the occasional questionable decision, would we still buy the mountain again?

Absolutely.

Important: This is our personal experience of buying and owning property in Portugal, not legal, tax or planning advice. Rules, taxes and permissions can vary by property, municipality and individual circumstances. Always check current requirements with the appropriate Portuguese authorities and qualified professionals before buying or carrying out work.

The Van Table
Van life • Portugal • Property • Off-grid living • Family chaos

Is van life actually cheaper? What happens when six people live in a Mercedes Sprinter, and just how many unfinished projects can one family accumulate?

David and Alison are back around The Van Table in the Scottish Highlands, talking about the reality of van life with four kids, the cost of living on the road, Starlink, solar power, Scotland versus Portugal and the growing graveyard of brilliant ideas that are definitely still going to happen.

There’s also an Aldi milk frother, water-pistol interruptions, a leaking tap, hundreds of olive trees, plans to find water on the mountain and the bigger question of what happens when the Scotland season ends and the family heads back to Portugal.

Recorded largely unedited from the static caravan in the Scottish Highlands. Real life continues in the background, as usual.

The Van Table
Van life • Family • Scotland • Portugal • Off-grid living • Food • Work • Whatever happens next

This time Alison joins me at The Van Table to tell her side of the story.

After selling our houses, selling the pub and buying a mountain in Portugal, we’ve spent the last few years trying to work out what comes next. In this episode we talk about how we ended up buying the mountain, what we were actually looking for, the decisions we made along the way and whether Alison really did make me buy it.

We’re recording from our temporary static caravan in the Scottish Highlands, where we’re spending the summer with four kids, a dog and rather more rain than we’d planned for.

No studio. No script. Very little editing. Just the two of us around the table trying to remember what actually happened.

Welcome to Episode 3 of The Van Table: She Made Me Buy a Mountain.

Why on earth would anyone sell everything and buy a mountain in Portugal?

In this episode of The Van Table, I tell the story of how Alison and I went looking for a small piece of land with a few trees… and somehow came home with around 100 acres of Portuguese mountainside stretching all the way down to the river.

It wasn’t the plan.

We talk about:

• 🌿 Why Portugal beat Italy
• 🏔️ The moment we knew we’d found the place
• 🚙 The terrifying 4x4 drive to the property
• 💰 How we actually afforded it
• 🌳 Olive trees, springs, wildlife and the reality of owning so much land
• 🤕 Breaking five ribs while clearing an olive tree
• 🚐 Why we’re still living in a van four years later
• ☕ The long-term dream of creating a simple retreat where people can slow down and reconnect with nature

This isn’t an expert guide to buying property overseas. It’s simply our story, mistakes included. If you’re dreaming about escaping the rat race, curious about rural Portugal, or wondering what possesses someone to buy a mountain, pull up a chair.

Welcome to The Van Table.

🌍 Website: https://thevantable.me
📖 Articles, photos and the free Van Guide: https://davidstanley.me

Dave’s Accuracy Notice

These podcasts are recorded without a script, usually with coffee. Measurements are approximate, stories occasionally wander, and the facts don’t always arrive in the correct order… but they’re all true as far as I remember them!

# From Pub Landlord to Van Life | The Van Table Ep.1

Welcome to The Van Table.

Pull up a chair.

I'm David, and this is where we chat about van life, family, Portugal, Scotland, work, ideas, the occasional disaster, and whatever else ends up on the table.

In this first episode, I talk about the journey from running pubs to living in a campervan, why we chose this life, what we've learned along the way, and where we're hoping it takes us next.

There isn't a script.

There aren't any fancy edits.

Just honest conversations from wherever we've parked up.

If that sounds like your sort of thing, grab a brew and join us at The Van Table.

🌍 Website: https://thevantable.me

📰 More stories: https://davidstanley.me

🎙️ New episodes whenever life gives us something worth talking about.

If you've got a question or a topic you'd like us to chat about around the table, leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you.