Newsletter January 2025

As we settle into 2025, we hope this message finds you, and your motorhomes, warm, well-rested, and ready for the adventures ahead. While for some the start of the year can be a little slow to get going after the festive season, for us it’s all systems go for what promises to be a brilliant year with lots going on.

Before we get to that, and given the freezing weather of late, just a quick reminder to make sure you’re looking after your vehicles as the mercury plummets. If you’re not a hundred percent sure what to do, remember that it’s all in your owner’s ‘How to Guide.’

While we are only a few weeks in, this year is already shaping up to be an exciting one here at RP as we expand our workshop space. Planning permission has been approved for a brand-new workshop next door to our current location, which will allow us to work on some exciting new developments on the vehicle front, including the all-new Rebellion. Stay tuned for more news on this front.

Both Steve and I are always immensely grateful to have such a brilliant team working on all aspects of the company and vehicles. So, in order to recognise them, we will be launching a new ‘Meet the Team’ section on the website in the coming weeks, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the people who bring your vehicles to life.

Finally, February is just around the corner, which means it’s not long until the NEC Show, where we will be with our mighty Pebble Rebel. We always love seeing as many of you there as possible, so if you are attending, be sure to come by for a catch-up.

As always, we would be nowhere without you, so thank you for being a part of the RP family, and here’s to a great year ahead.

Steve & Jaye Young

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Meet the Owners

Not all stories follow the script we hope for. They don’t all get the fairytale endings they deserve, something RP owner Jayne Leach is all too aware of. 

The dream had always been to travel in their Rebellion 4 AWD together, husband and wife continuing a lifelong passion for travel and adventure that began back in Peru many years earlier. But it didn’t play out like that. Jayne’s husband, John, sadly passed away after just one trip in the van together, leaving her questioning whether she would even keep it.

 “When I lost John, the vehicle sat on the yard for, what, eight, nine, maybe ten months, and all I did was go and sit in it,” she explains. “I didn't drive it. I didn't go anywhere in it. I didn't think I could manage it on my own. And did I even want to do it on my own? It wasn't my dream. It was our dream.”

A dream that had previously spanned many years and many countries. From the heights of Machu Picchu in Peru to the scorched savannahs of Southern Africa, and so many other destinations in between, Jayne and John lived a life full of adventure together, explorers in their own right with a passion for venturing to parts of the world few others see.

“It all started in Peru when we went on our first big trip with the company we work alongside,” Jayne says. “It was the first time I went to what I call the big outdoors, the first time I saw this big, wide world. That’s when I thought, ‘I need to go see a lot more.’”

And see a lot more of it they did, venturing far and wide, seeing the world, experiencing different cultures and meeting all manner of people from varied backgrounds. Although, for all the travel they embarked on together, there was one part of the world that kept calling them back.

“My heart lies in Africa,” Jayne confesses. “They always say Africa has its own heartbeat, and I truly believe that. We traveled so much there, up through Namibia to Angola, through Botswana and Zimbabwe, across into Malawi and Mozambique, just us, our van, and the dirt road ahead.

“They were the best days together, meeting wonderful people and sharing experiences like no other. John always spoke with such fondness about the time we spent with the San people in Angola and the Himba tribe in Namibia, the sorts of experiences you usually only see on TV.”

As with every story, theirs evolved. With that came the need for a different vehicle, one that would allow them to head off the beaten track but also enable adventures a little closer to home. That’s where RP Motorhomes came in, or rather, Steve and Jaye, because it was them as people who really won Jayne over at a time when the RP brand was still in its early years.

“What I loved about Steve and Jaye was their passion for their brand and the vehicles they were building,” Jayne says. “They were fully engaged. It wasn’t just a vehicle, it was more than that for them, and I loved that. I loved the fact that everything was possible. There were no limits, and nothing was ever a problem. You don’t get that with the big commercial brands. That was exciting for us because, finally, we found a vehicle that was comfortable, suitable for both of us, and we were dead excited to go off traveling.”

This is where the story diverges from the script Jayne had written in her head. Not long after a week away in Switzerland together, John’s health began to deteriorate, and, unbeknownst to them at the time, it would prove to be their final adventure together.

Despite serious misgivings, Jayne didn’t sell the van. Over time, she slowly got back into using it, starting with a few overnight trips with her sister before embarking on a month-long journey through the French Alps with her son and his family. This culminated in joining RP’s Balkans Odyssey last year, something she never imagined she would do but is immensely grateful she did.

Jayne and her son Marcus on the recent RP Adventures tour of the Balkans

“I think I always said I’d never go with a group,” she says. “We always traveled independently. We were brave enough to go anywhere, do anything, see anything. Looking back, we often put ourselves in danger, but at the time, you never thought about that, you were just adventurous. So when I was asked about the Balkans trip, it was a flat ‘no’ at first. But then I thought to myself, ‘Well, there’s a certain type of person that buys these vehicles. They’ve got to want to travel; they’ve got to have a sense of adventure about them.’

“If I’m honest, it was with a little bit of reluctance that I eventually signed up for the trip. But it was incredible. The people I met, the bonds we formed, the memories we created, the laughter, the places we saw, everybody helping each other, it was something rather special and unique. It was a wonderful experience, and I can’t wait for Morocco now.”

One of the joys of life is that we always have the chance to write the next chapter, even when the story doesn’t unfold as we once dreamt it would. Jayne personifies this as she continues to travel, continues to seek out meaningful moments that will enrich her life, continues to write the story that John would have wanted her to. 

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Dates for your Diary

Caravan, Camping at Motorhome Show at the NEC | February 18-23

We will be at the Show all week with our mighty Rebel so please stop by for a coffee if you’re going. 

RP Owners Forum | July 4th-6th

We will once again be hosting our annual owners gathering in the beautiful Suffolk countryside, and hope to welcome as many of you as possible for what promises to be a great occasion. Full details will be shared soon, but for now, to book your place, please contact Jaye. 

Morocco Adventure | October 6th-22nd and January 12th-28th 2026.

After the success of our Balkans trip we are delighted to have so many of you joining us for what will now be two Morocco trips. There is one place left for the January trip, so if you’re interested please contact Jaye ASAP. 

Merry Christmas from RP

As 2024 draws to a close we can’t help but reflect on what has been an incredible milestone year for us; our tenth anniversary. 

And what a year it has been. We’re proud to have produced and delivered more vehicles than ever before to an ever growing family of RP owners, a testament to our wonderful hard-working team, and of course your unwavering support. What’s more we were awarded GB Type Approval in February, making us the only UK manufacturer building Mercedes All Wheel Drive adventure vehicles, something we are very proud about. 

Away from the manufacturing side of things the big highlight was the launch of our first-ever RP Adventures tour. Our time in the Balkans will live long in the memory, especially that night under the stars in Durmitor National Park.

Looking ahead 2025 is shaping up to be just as exciting. Not only are we developing new and innovative features for our vehicles, but we’re also expanding our headquarters to ensure we can deliver the ultimate customer experience. For those with an adventurous spirit our next RP Adventures trip is heading to Morocco, and we know those of you signed up are in for an incredible journey to the Sahara. 

For all of our vision, none of this would have been possible without you. Your passion for exploration and continued trust in us over the past decade have been the driving forces behind everything we do, and we will always remain immensely grateful to have been on this journey together. 

If you’re wondering why you haven’t received a Christmas card from us this year it’s because, as in previous years, we’ve chosen to donate to charity instead. This year we’re supporting a cause that’s very close to our hearts; Cancer Research. We believe it’s a small way we can make a big difference, and we hope you’ll join us in spreading the spirit of giving this holiday season.

And so, all that’s left for us to say is that we wish you the merriest of Christmases and a New Year filled with adventure, joy, and, of course, many more road trips.

Here’s to the next chapter together, 

Steve and Jaye 

Newsletter Oct 2024

Steve & Jaye on their Balkans Odyssey

Welcome to our first RP Leisure Group newsletter. As our business and customers continue to grow and evolve, we feel now is the time to start a regular correspondence through which we can share more of the RP journey with you. 

It’s hard to believe that this all started ten years ago when we built our very first van on the drive at home. We never imagined it would quite reach this point. Fast forward to 2024 and we have built over a hundred vehicles for a wide range of customers, each eager to see the world in your own way, united by a desire for quality and a brand that you can trust implicitly.

It’s not always been the easiest of journeys, especially not in the early days, but the greatest vindication that we are moving along the right track came earlier this year when we were awarded Great Britain Small Series Type Approval. This means that we are fully recognised vehicle manufacturers, and the only one in the UK building on Mercedes AWD vehicles, giving our customers total confidence that we will continue to build vehicles of the highest quality to match your adventure needs.

On that note it was a real joy to head out to Montenegro recently and join up with our first RP Adventures trip, aptly named ‘The Balkans Odyssey’ to not only see our vehicles ‘in the wild’ but create some special memories with the owners who were part of this fantastic adventure. Stay tuned across our social channels for some exciting news for upcoming trips in 2025.

Finally, we have taken the decision not to be at the Caravan and Motorhome Show at the NEC this month, opting instead to focus all of our resources on progressing and finishing the exciting developments we have in-store for next year. We will be back in February though, ready to showcase what we are working on, so be sure to stop by.

For now all that’s left to say is thank you to each and every one of you for being a part of the first ten years of what has now become RP Leisure Group. We look forward to the next chapter together.

Steve & Jaye Young

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A Balkans Odyssey

The sun slowly emerges from behind the vast face of rock that forms one side of the imperious canyon that we find ourselves in. With it comes a welcome warmth, the hitherto frigid morning air gradually rising in temperature as the sun ascends ever higher towards what will be its eventual zenith in the brilliant blue sky.

From below comes the perpetual roll and rumble of the river, whose waters have, over countless years, carved out Tara Canyon, Europe’s deepest at over 1300 metres in some places. With the emerging sun comes signs of life on our campsite, built over two levels on what land there is to be found here at the bottom of the canyon, as soft chatter and the alluring aroma of freshly brewed coffee begins to fill the air.

We are in Montenegro, although only just as here the river marks the border with neighbouring Bosnia & Herzegovina, on the edge of Durmitor National Park, a region whose natural beauty is quick to win not just my heart, but those of my travelling companions too. The most impressive views of the canyon are from above, where one can see the turquoise waters of the river snaking their way through a green oasis of thickly wooded precipitous cliffs, home to rare, primaeval black pine forests.

The beauty of the landscape is reason enough to venture to this remote corner of a country that is, by modern standards, relatively undeveloped, with great swathes of land as nature intended them to be. Although, as we will discover with some delight in the coming days, there is far more to Durmitor National Park than its imperious canyon. But for now the focus is on the river, where we will spend the morning rafting.

At this time of year, it’s mid-September, the rapids are not particularly violent, graded as level two plus, and so over the course of the fourteen kilometres there are periods where we can relax, paddle gently and admire the canyon from a different perspective. Autumn’s gentle hand has already begun to touch the landscape, little pockets of rusty brown shrubs and trees with teardrop leaves the colour of caramel contrast with the verdant greens of the forest we float alongside.

‘All paddle’ comes the urgent command from Jacko, our vigilant guide. Ahead the river froths and erupts in plumes of white, a thunderous roar filling the air. We set to our task, carrying the raft quickly towards the start of the rapids before we are swept into them tossed this way and that. The front of the raft rises up, the horizon suddenly filled with the calm blue of the sky before slamming back down again, cold water showering those sat at the front, much to the delight of those further back.

The great contrast of Durmitor comes the following day as we head up from the canyon and take the thin ribbon of road that meanders through the heart of the mountains. The road gradually rises, picking its way up and through great slabs of rock long since jettisoned from the mountains that tower over us on either side, until without warning it arrives at a point where we are forced to stop. Not because the road is blocked, but because the sheer scale and brilliance of the mountains requires it of us.

We stand lost in reverence, for the landscape we find ourselves in is surrounded by mountains that appear to have violently wrestled themselves free from the depths of earth, jutting high into the sky. We will travel no further, instead opting to wild camp in the bosom of the mountains, the spell of Durmitor well and truly cast upon us. Night brings yet more magic, an ink-black sky carpeted with stars, wisps of the Milky Way and the crackle of our campfire providing the perfect end to a day few will ever forget.

To watch more about what we got up to click the button below.

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Meet the Owners

It was Hans Christian Anderson who once said that ‘to travel is to live’. Words that RP owners Peter and Jane Reynolds are the very epitome of in their retirement, seeking out a life full of travel and meaningful moments in their Rebellion 2 AWD.

Having dedicated many years of their lives to work, in which they built and ran a highly successful green grocery business, they are now making up for lost time, fully embracing what it means to live a life full of meaningful moments together on the road. Only they’re in no great hurry, their travels through Europe are very much at their own pace and firmly eschewing toll roads.

“You miss so much when you’re on the toll roads, all these lovely little villages and places that otherwise go by in a blur,” Jane says. Places where they continue to meet all manner of colourful characters, experiencing authentic moments that add so much richness and depth to their adventures. 

“Travel has been a revelation to me,” she adds. “I had only been to France once and on a walking holiday in Spain, so I hadn’t travelled much before getting the van. I can’t believe we’ve now been to all these different places, countries like Italy, Montenegro, Bosnia and Slovenia. It’s been such fun, and we always have a laugh together.”

They have only had their van for a year, but in that time they have packed plenty in, both with UK-based travel where highlights include time spent in the Outer Hebrides, as well as travel through Europe and being on the inaugural RP Adventures trip to the Balkans recently.

“When we bought this van it was to be used,” Peter explains. “That was why we spent the money on it, to be able to see the world. For me it’s about learning, exploration and having fun.”

Had it not been for an online video review of a Rebellion 4 they might not even have discovered RP in the first place. When they had a chance to sell their Auto Sleeper motorhome at an unexpected profit, after months of being unhappy with it, Peter took it upon himself to design the van that he wanted. It was while researching ideas for his van that he discovered RP, and the rest as they say, is history.

“I’d gone as far as designing my own van before I came across the Rebellion 4 review video on YouTube,” Peter says. “We then went to see Steve and Jaye and we just loved the quality of the vans they were producing and, what’s more, that they listened to our needs and requirements and could build us the van we wanted. That was it, we ordered one there and then.”

It’s not always been plain sailing though, with the first months after taking delivery of their van very much a learning curve for them both.

“There’s so much technology in it and we are still learning now,” admits Peter. “If I could give one tip to other owners it would be that you really do need to use your van regularly.” It’s a sentiment that Jane agrees with. “You forget things,” she adds. “So the more you use it the more comfortable you are with how everything works.”

Embracing travel in the way that they have has not only given them memories that they will cherish for many years, but it has forced them to step out of their comfort zone, which, as they admit, isn’t always easy. 

“I think I have surprised myself a bit,” confesses Jane. “I was so worried about it (travelling) because when you don’t do something that change can be scary and you think you might not be able to cope. I would tell myself that ‘I can’t do that’ but I keep embracing everything that travelling entails and I find myself really enjoying the little moments, going into foreign shops, trying to speak different languages and meeting new people.”

While travelling for long periods provides a raft of daily highlights and memories, there is one experience above all others that stands out for them. It came on the Balkans Odyssey during the time the trip spent in Montenegro. With most of the group heading white-water rafting on the Tara River, both Peter and Jane opted to head off on an organised photography safari.

“That was a really special day,” Peter says. “Being out in the real countryside, meeting real people, such as Dragan (a local living in Durmitor National Park), seeing real farms and ways of life.” As a lover of photography it gave Peter the time to be at one with nature, with Jane and their beloved sheepdog, Tiny, at his side, tinkering with his cameras trying to capture the moment, one that Jane holds dear in her heart.

“We were so perfectly happy and content in that moment,” she says. “I had a little tear in my eye when we stood there together.”

With an ever growing confidence, both in themselves and their van’s ability to venture further off the beaten track, they are already planning the next chapters in their blossoming travel story, one that will, to Hans Christian Anderson’s words, ensure they continue to live life to the full.

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Habitation Checks

If you have had your vehicle for close to a year, then it’s time to get your habitation check booked in.

We have slots available on both Mondays and Thursdays and you can arrange yours by contacting us at info@rpmotorhomes.com

Why is it important to have this done? Well, aside from the fact that it means we can make sure everything is as it should be, including any little adjustments that are needed, it protects your warranty.

All of our vehicles come with a two year warranty. However, in order to ensure the warranty is intact for the second twelve months, you need to have had a habitation check at the end of your first year.

So get in touch with us and book yours today.

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Owners Forum

We asked you to save the date, and now we’re excited to share some more details of our first RP Owners Forum get together.

What’s it all about?

At RP, we are excited about fostering a sense of community among our valued owners. We are dedicated to creating a space where like-minded individuals can come together, forge meaningful connections, and enjoy engaging social interactions. We’d therefore love you to join us in a fun and relaxing atmosphere, where you can meet new friends, unwind over a few drinks, and share in the camaraderie of our community.

We really want our Owners Forums to be fantastic occasions for making memories and cultivating lasting relationships.

Where is it?

Woodbridge quayside, showing the famous Tide Mill

It’s being kindly hosted at a private estate in Woodbridge, Suffolk by generous RP owners. We’ll be effectively pitching in their back garden, although it’s a pretty big back garden! You’ll have access to emergency water but this is not a serviced site, so come prepared to enjoy a bit of off-grid living. Steve and Jaye will be there as hosts for the event and to provide a lead for our activities. Well behaved dogs are very welcome.

When is it?

You can arrive from 3pm on the Friday 5th July and you’ll be directed to a pitch position on arrival. We have events planned throughout the weekend as you’ll see below. We’ll be packing up and clearing the site by noon on Sunday 7th July.

What does it cost?

We’re asking for £50 per vehicle to confirm a spot which will also get you £50 credit at the Sprokers Arms Bar. The bar is being provided ‘at cost’ and there’s something for everyone including our own owners event cocktail! It’s open Friday and Saturday evenings. The drinks menu can be downloaded here.

What are we planning?

• Friday 6pm

  Champagne Reception on the lawn of the lodge, followed by informal bonfire and drinks (no catering for the first evening, so come prepared)

• Saturday 2-4pm

  Organised events, candle making in the barn or guided walk around the grounds

• Saturday 6pm

  Evening meal with entertainment from 7pm

• Sunday 10am

  Bacon sandwiches on the lawn

Now what?

Get in touch with Jaye at RP by email or phone or simply click the ‘Sign Me Up’ link below, complete the form and we’ll get you signed up immediately and get in touch to collect your £50 bar tab.

Sign me up

Owners Forum July 2024

Looking forward to it,
all the best from Team RP.