We quit our jobs & ditched our house-buying dream to live off grid

“The one thing I want to crack is use a compost heap to heat water.She admitted they still worried about selling eggs – which Charis said was a “nicer thing” to have to worry about.

Matthew and Charis Watkinson both worked as vets in Essex before opting for a very different life in Wales
Matthew and Charis Watkinson both worked as vets in Essex before opting for a very different life in WalesCredit: GoFundme
The couple converted a horse lorry as their eco-friendly home
The couple converted a horse lorry as their eco-friendly homeCredit: Media Wales/Robert Mellen
The family live a self sustainable life
The family live a self sustainable lifeCredit: Media Wales/Watkinson family
An old car is used as a makeshift greenhouse
An old car is used as a makeshift greenhouseCredit: Media Wales/Robert Mellen

“Compost heaps can get to about 70C so we are building one out of the chicken bedding.””Any extra solar is dumped to heat water so on a good day we can get a lot of hot water. If the weather is bad it would be good to have hot water without having a fire. Then when their children started growing up they added two 26ft-long flatbed hay trailers.Charis said they had to grow at least 30 per cent of their own food and would like to produce more.

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The mum-of-two said one winter when the weather was cloudy and dull, things did get “a bit close to the wire” as they couldn’t use the fridge or freezer but added they were looking at installing something to harness wind energy or perhaps put a hydro in the stream to “make sure we keep ticking over”.They run a TV which runs off 12-volt electricity and also have a tiny fridge and freezer.He said: “We didn’t want to go back to the stone age, we wanted Netflix!  There’s no phone line but we found a solution, we get all our Internet from mobile phone deals.The family now run Beeview Farm in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

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Essentially, the policy gives a helping hand to people to build a home on open countryside – with the provision it is carbon-neutral in construction and can be used to support those who live there.While things may get a bit hairy at times, for the couple one of the big perks of their lifestyle is the sense of well-being they get from it.The 42-year-old said: “There are probably better times to start a family than when you’re building an entire life from scratch, but there’s probably no perfect time to start a family.She added: “It’s just nice to be able to wander around at a slower pace in life.

I love living off-grid in a tent with my kids but only moved here because I was HOMELESS, now I’ve chucked away my possessions & hate the idea of living in a house

She added: “I think by the time we handed in our notices I knew I needed to do it. As we were just locuming after we moved we didn’t have a job lined up so living without a stable plan was a big thing. But we were ready to get going.”It’s terrifying but exciting at the same time, it’s the only way to describe it. We are forging a new path and I know we can do it but I’m just not sure how entirely we do it.”Their radical lifestyle change was made possible, in part, thanks to the Welsh Government’s One Planet Development Policy.Now, the former vet is less stressed – or at least stressed in a different way.Charis said that at first they got a seven-and-a-half tonne horse lorry and completely stripped it and used it as a kitchen, dining room and lounge, along with a couple of “cheap caravans”.Before, she said she got migraines and had eczema but having moved to Wales she claimed she hadn’t had either.A COUPLE quit their jobs and gave up on their dream of buying a home and went to live off grid in a horse lorry.When they made their big decision it was daunting for them – as they both lacked farming experience.According to Matthew, one thing was essential.Now, after two children Elsa and Billy, they say their only bill is having to pay council tax.They’ve managed to adapt to a completely new way of life which nowadays involves a man-powered washing and machine and horse-poo powered cooking gas – and generally living off the land.Before the radical change Charis was earning £30,000 a year but now she says the family makes do by selling the eggs from their 50 chickens and six ducks as well as the honey from their bees.Her health appears to have improved too.For the busy dad, learning to live off  grid has also been an on-the-job experience.For the family however, it was important that living off grid didn’t mean going without the little luxuries of everyday life. “Otherwise we would have bought [a house] – we almost had it that way with a mortgage and a job but we didn’t want to carry on with the rat race. We almost did it without thinking about it.”They get their water from a stream running through their land and use solar panels for electricity.An old car is now used as a makeshift greenhouse while old tyres act to wall in their vegetable gardens.”The children love the chickens wandering around and collecting the eggs and we have three acres for them to run around it. Elsa is really getting into growing.”Possibly one of Matthew’s proudest achievements is known as Biff the biodigester which is hoped will fuel all their cooking gas needs by using food and animal waste.Bottled gas is currently used for cooking but hope to swap to the biodigester which produces methane, once it is up and running.Charis told WalesOnline: “We just figured we wanted to be able to look after ourselves and be a bit more self-sufficient.”

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Instead of living in a bricks and mortar property, home is now a converted horse box – along with a couple of hay trailers on the side.Essex vets Charis and Matthew Watkinson decided to drop everything and start their lives again.

They have solar panels to provide electricity
They have solar panels to provide electricityCredit: Media Wales/Robert Mellen
The family enjoying time in their living room
The family enjoying time in their living roomCredit: Media Wales/Robert Mellen
Their eco friendly home is zero carbon
Their eco friendly home is zero carbonCredit: Media Wales/Watkinson family

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