There is always a Kerry connection: Cork camper van company inspired by time in Castlegregory

Following the Wind: From Starting with Nothing to Building a Life in Ireland

CORK – In the late 1990s, a young theatre engineer living in Berlin discovered windsurfing. With little money but a strong sense of curiosity he spent his free time travelling to the coast, learning early on that freedom often comes from movement rather than possessions.

In 1999, he bought an old Volkswagen camper van – basic, worn, and full of potential. With no practical experience, he rebuilt the interior himself, turning it into both a home and a way forward. That van carried him across Europe, from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, Denmark and Wales, wherever the wind was blowing.

“I didn’t have a plan or a safety net – just the willingness to try and learn as I went.”

In 2003, with no clear roadmap, he made a life-changing decision to leave Berlin and follow the road south. What was meant to be a year on the Canary Islands became seven. During that time, he gained countless experiences in a large variety  of jobs – teaching windsurfing, working in hotels, fabricating metal, building homes and even sewing surf shorts on the beach. Living simply, he gained something very valuable: resilience, practical skills, and a deep understanding of how to build spaces that truly work..

Then the time for a change came: Looking for somewhere new on the Atlantic coast, he opened an old school atlas and chose Ireland – knowing no one, having never seen a photograph, guided only by the reputation of Brandon Bay as a good windsurf spot. After travelling slowly from the Canaries to Kerry, he spent his first year living on the beach near Castlegregory, adapting to Ireland’s landscape, weather and rhythm of life.

Over time, Ireland became home. After several years working in the technology sector in Cork, he  returned to hands-on craft, training as a carpenter and focusing on fine woodwork. Drawing on more than 25 years of lived experience on the road, he now builds high-value bespoke campervans – not only as luxury items, but as carefully crafted spaces designed to offer others the same sense of confidence, safety and freedom he once searched for himself.

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About Unfollow Camper Vans

Unfollow Camper Vans Ltd is a bespoke campervan conversion workshop based in Cork City. Founded in 2003 by craftsman and lifelong traveller Jan-Peter Nagel, the company specialises in building safe, durable and carefully considered campervans designed for the realities of Irish roads, weather and lifestyles. Each build is informed by decades of real-world living experience and a strong focus on quality, functionality and long-term value.

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