- 7 hours ago
A New Life in the Sun - Season 11 - Episode 16
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00:01From the glistening waters of the Med to the mountainous Alps,
00:05all across Europe, brave Brits are chasing new beginnings.
00:09Let's get this show on the road, huh?
00:11I mean, just look at this backdrop here.
00:13Essex was nothing like this.
00:15The stakes are high.
00:17This is definitely a gamble. I've put everything in.
00:19All my life savings.
00:21We've got a lot riding on this.
00:22Our futures, our children's futures.
00:24We need to make some money.
00:25As they launch B&Bs...
00:27Service!
00:28..and pubs in France...
00:30We're very new at this.
00:31Wow.
00:32Good job the wine is cheap.
00:34..to wellness retreats and holiday parks in Bulgaria.
00:38It's not big enough.
00:39We measured it. I don't understand.
00:41It's a journey into the unknown.
00:44Whoa.
00:44That's cool.
00:46Boo!
00:47But we're joining them for the ride.
00:51As they tee off...
00:52Oh!
00:53..their new lives in the sun.
00:55I just walk around with a smile on my face all the time.
00:57This one's ever!
01:00Today in Spain...
01:02Just look at the gunge coming out of that.
01:05..dream project or house of horrors.
01:08Two publicans put everything on the line
01:11as they expand their hospitality empire.
01:14Quite run down, isn't it?
01:15Yeah.
01:15It needs a lot of work.
01:18Riding off into the sunset...
01:20I've given up an office life in the UK for,
01:23well, this is my office here in Spain.
01:25..but will a Bristol family's biker tours take off?
01:28It's expensive.
01:28We've run out of money.
01:30We're emotionally drained.
01:32But we're cautiously optimistic.
01:33And in Bulgaria, it's a marathon, not a sprint,
01:37for a Dumfries couple.
01:38There's two done.
01:40Only another 98 to go.
01:42..as the future of their holiday village hangs on expansion.
01:46What's at stake is everything.
01:57Spain's Costa del Sol remains the number one choice
02:01for Brits choosing to make the move to sunnier shores.
02:06Here in Benal Madena,
02:08almost 5% of the population are Brits,
02:11and it was the perfect fit for Adam and his Spanish wife, Ali.
02:15Let me put the umbrella in, Al.
02:16Yeah.
02:17When they chose to swap Lancaster for the Costa in 2022.
02:22We're currently looking at 28 degrees
02:26towards the end of November.
02:28We get this amazing weather all year round.
02:29So, no, not missing the UK weather, but loving it here.
02:34The couple set up a bar overlooking the beach.
02:37I am under a tad amount of pressure here now.
02:41All of a sudden, everybody arrived at the same time,
02:42and that's a lot of fresh cocktails to make.
02:46But soon found themselves struggling to keep up with their success.
02:50Every day we do about, roughly, up about 18 hours.
02:54We get about five hours sleep a night.
02:56My initial target was 300 euros a day.
03:00We're now up to 1,000 euros a day.
03:04And then, to this day, we're going back to the next day.
03:04Into their second season, the business continued to boom,
03:07and despite working flat out every day,
03:10the couple never lost sight of their dream.
03:13Every night, when I just turn around,
03:15I never get tired of that view, you know, boats going past.
03:18That's why we're here.
03:19Why we're in this location, but that view.
03:25almost three years since we first met them adam and ali are about to put everything they've built
03:31on the line it's just incredible isn't it they're handing more responsibility to bar manager megs
03:38and opening a second bar in the heart of town it's been around for about 40 years quite run
03:44down isn't it yeah it needs a lot of work the couple just bought the lease to this former show
03:50bar for 20 000 euros they want to create a stage for live acts from drag to disco but the
03:59bar needs
04:00more than just a little tlc we are throwing everything we have into these projects it needs
04:08a lot of money spending on it and we we literally are putting everything into it um but yeah we
04:14we've
04:14made the decision to just go for it and do it properly and put everything into it
04:22it's november and after seven long months the tourist season in ben al madina is winding down
04:29our last day of the season it's towards the end of november it's starting to quieten off we've had a
04:35ridiculously good year um but we're tired closing during winter months isn't unusual in resorts like
04:45ben al madina but when the shutters come down on their beach side bar work will begin at their second
04:51location and the hard work starts tomorrow tomorrow it's the next step of our journey out here and which
05:00is going to give us it doesn't sound like it but it's going to give us a better work-life
05:04balance
05:05that's what he says we say even in november there's a steady stream of customers lining up for adam and
05:13ali's signature cocktails it's the best porn star martini ever it's amazing and they've decided it's time
05:22to drum up some excitement about their new venture on social media we are now the very proud owners
05:31of the old bonanza bar up near bonanza square the name is going to be changing and that's all going
05:37to be revealed very very shortly adios and now it's official to like a bit of a weight of our
05:44shoulders
05:44as we know and it's official we're letting everybody know and now it's full steam ahead
05:50as the sun heads for the horizon the tables are thinning out and the end of a long year is
05:57in
05:57sight and we are done say dizzy
06:06turning kitchen equipment off for this year that's all the fryers off oven off i'm off now
06:14tomorrow three months of hard graft to bring their new venue up to scratch begins cheers guys thank
06:21you thank you very much and though it could signal a fresh chapter in their spanish dream
06:27they know this season could be boom or bust
06:39but not all brits relocate for endless sunshine at the heart of the leibana valley in the cantabria
06:47region lies the medieval town of potes with its old stone buildings and timber framed houses it's a
06:55place where old world traditions meet mountain adventure the perfect base for nature lovers to
07:01explore the picos de europa national park ah well thanks muchas gracias like greg and daisy from bristol
07:11phenomenal gracias
07:16and this valley you have to come through a gorge to just to get here and we're surrounded on all
07:21sides
07:21by beautiful mountains and um it's a walkers and and bikers paradise it's just a wonderful place to be
07:27when they first visited 14 years ago the couple instantly fell for the charm of this lesser known
07:34region we came out here in the camper van didn't we uh with the mountain bikes and a couple of
07:38surfboards
07:39and we just did um about a month just um touring the the north of spain yeah we absolutely loved
07:45it as
07:45soon as we got here it's just stunning and you know you're only an hour away from amazing coastline
07:51so we went surfing in the afternoon and mountain biking in the morning not many places you can do
07:56that after spending their honeymoon in potes greg and daisy started to see a future here for their
08:03family oh it's lovely that's great isn't it yeah we love bristol but we always had itchy feet i think
08:09that's safe to say isn't it yeah and we were talking about could we find a way to move out
08:14here
08:14we thought well let's get some bikes let's start doing some tours out here we love motorcycles and this
08:19place is just just asking for it isn't it will be great because you do get a lot of motorcyclists
08:24here but there's nowhere to rent bikes there's nowhere to do tours so yeah that was the the idea
08:29and the dream behind that yeah the couple took the leap and moved here with their children ben and lucy
08:35just before the pandemic what do you think benny as a base for their new motorcycle tours business
08:42they bought a four-bedroom farmhouse plus a ruin ripe for development for 180 000 euros
08:50biologist daisy still works remotely but software engineer greg quit his job to focus on their new
08:57venture do you like the views it's cool isn't it how much are we throwing into this financially and
09:06emotionally quite a lot a lot all of it all of it all of it and then some and then
09:12a bit more
09:14to boost their income the couple are also converting part of their house into a one-bedroom rental
09:20apartment so by the end of the summer hopefully we'll have a few tours done we'll have the accommodation
09:26rented out a few times and hopefully we'll have loads of money that's not gonna happen that's our
09:36little village down there can you see lucy now their future life in spain rides on the success of their
09:42tours and holiday rental it's hard work it's hard work we've run out of money we're emotionally trained
09:48um but we're cautiously optimistic are we no no of course we are yeah we wouldn't be here otherwise
09:58it's february and before they can start offering tours greg and daisy need a group insurance policy
10:06while they wait for that they're finishing their rental apartment
10:11so in here we've got the sort of an open plan um kitchen sort of dining room living space
10:17in order to save on funds greg has done much of the work himself before we moved out here i
10:24learned
10:24some of the you know the basics basic sort of carpentry a little bit about plumbing a little bit
10:28about electrics and that really helped us when it came to putting this together through here we've got a
10:35nice little bathroom area and then this is the bedroom you've got the views sort of down into the
10:42valley from the bedroom so it's a it's actually a really nice place to wake up
10:46so far the renovations have cost 20 000 euros but the investment means they can offer biker
10:52breaks as well as tours we've got the motorcycle business getting up and running hopefully we'll
10:57get people coming out and uh for example spending a long weekend with us but before they can host
11:03paying guests the apartment will also need to be legally signed off it's like a checklist of things
11:09that all properties in this this um municipality in spain have to have in order to get the license
11:15for renting out once we've made this apartment all official we can start having people come and stay
11:20with us and we're ready to crack on
11:29in northeastern bulgaria just 80 minutes from the popular black sea resorts is the village of lissy vra
11:38tucked away on a hillside with only around 50 inhabitants it's not the sort of place you'd expect to
11:44find a pair of enterprising expats oh tricks it's going to be a hot day actually yeah yeah feels hot
11:51already and here's the bees wonder how much honey they've made this year yeah but when they decided
11:57to swap scotland for sunnier climbs come on tricks this serene rural setting was exactly what dumfries
12:05couple tracy and john had always dreamt of the way of life here is much slower yeah it's got the
12:13nature
12:13the fresh air less traffic less people and as long as you are the sort of person that likes an
12:24adventure
12:24likes an adventure then you will absolutely love bulgaria their bulgarian adventure began with the
12:32purchase of a holiday home but after falling in love with the area before britain left the eu they
12:38moved here permanently and turned their home into a business we've got a bar a village shop the cafe the
12:47campsite the b and b rooms the pool and we're developing all the time running a collection of
12:55businesses is a big change from their former careers john was a welder and tracy an nhs nurse
13:03working together is sometimes very difficult um because obviously we're two individuals with our own
13:11opinions and usually they clash terribly don't they tracy's boss with that no i'm not i'm not the boss
13:19but i do have the best ideas
13:23the couple were forced to diversify as their accommodation is so remote that passing trade
13:30is limited and to keep their dream alive every year the pressure is on to improve their bottom line
13:37what's at stake is everything we've done it bit by bit haven't we yeah we you know we've earned a
13:42bit
13:42of money we've spent some money so yeah we've never kept a record and i think psychologically that's a good
13:49thing
13:52it's april and tracy and john's holiday complex is quiet during the off season the couple rely on
14:00everything but their accommodation to make ends meet this is at the shop the bar and the cafe it's a
14:09sort of a an all-round area monday wednesday and friday mornings it's open to the village as the village
14:16shop and cafe and then saturday nights it's open as the bar and we do snacks chips and peleski
14:25habki which is chicken nuggets we needed this area so we could have a campsite to have a beer license
14:34and spirit license you needed a bar to have the bar and the campsite you needed a reception so we
14:42built
14:42all of this into one thing the shop bar and restaurant don't bring in a lot of cash so tracy
14:52and john are always expanding their offering this year they're looking to turn an unused space above
14:59the shop into a two-bedroom holiday apartment in we come they've got a nice bright yellow door
15:09we thought it was fearful after working hard over the winter they're pleased with the progress so far
15:17the kitchen is finished even though it's full of tools just the floor needs tiling last week i was
15:24tiling in the bedroom i've started tiling the floor in the sitting room but as you can see everything
15:30is a work in progress yeah this is going to be one of the bedrooms i hope you like the
15:36color
15:39the ensuite jack and jill bathroom is almost complete all the hot water's in everything this
15:45bathroom is all finished all the drains everything all we've got to do is put the shower screen up
15:50and then that's it complete really in here the plumbing is all john's handiwork
15:57and yeah it works yay and this is hot water that is heated by the sun
16:03we've got the solar water heater here we've got solar panels on the roof and the boilers here so
16:09we're going to build a cupboard there and this is going to be the second bedroom
16:14to survive the quiet winter months tracy and john need to make the most of the summer season
16:21now it's a race against time to finish off the apartment and start taking bookings
16:27so it's april now maximum of six weeks yeah six weeks time
16:34if anybody wants to come and stay here to be ready for guests
16:42coming up oh my god there is things moving in there a rude awakening for adam and ali in the
16:4830 years in
16:49hospitality i've come across some dirty bars before and some insect problems but this is just another
16:54level and for greg and daisy we're close to uh 25 000 euros um in for the bikes we really
17:02need to start
17:02getting some um some paying guests back in northern spain just watch your fingers in case it all moves
17:18greg and daisy are laying the foundations for their new motorcycle tours business
17:23they want to appeal to families as well as solo riders so they're making a new addition to their
17:29garden we're building a little playhouse for guests for kids when they come and stay so we've got a
17:34little slide we can do some little swings and things there as well so we need to work out what's
17:40the height for a kid for a rainy the couple are currently living on daisy's remote working salary
17:46so they've recruited some free help we've got elena and bart with us they're workaways so basically
17:53they're coming to help us out and uh and we give them we give them uh food and boards and
17:58they help us
17:59out for a few hours each day and uh it's a nice way for um for work ways to sort
18:03of travel around an
18:04area when we cut this hole out the post should just go straight in yeah yeah you sound about as
18:12convinced as i do all right shall we give it a go around one quarter of all british holiday makers
18:20visiting spain are family groups well that's perfect i think does it fit so greg knows that appealing to
18:31this market is essential not quite let me go and get the persuader it's just a hammer isn't it but
18:39i call it
18:40the persuader
18:45a little bit more a little bit more yeah maybe one more oh yeah yeah yeah that's it that's it
18:55that's it
18:55perfect so far off we are look at that spot on spot on
19:06elena and bob they've been fantastic the job that would have taken me three weeks it's been a week
19:10and it's really nice having people here it's it's uh it sort of gives you a feel of what it
19:14might be
19:15like when we start getting clients you know showing them the reasons we love this place so much
19:21during their five week stay elena and bart are test driving greg and daisy's new rental apartment
19:29the apartment is great actually it has everything we need it's nice cozy we do work away quite often
19:37we did it four times last year it's one of the best so far definitely yeah they're really kind uh
19:43uh the work we have to do is fun really fun and the environment here it's amazing we really love
19:49it
19:49here and their visitors are also sold on the couple's business plans i think the motorbikes will
19:56definitely work yeah it's a great adventurous area yeah they are they know what they are doing
20:04many hands make light work and the play area is another task crossed off the job sheet
20:11lovely nice and solid nice one thanks mate really good day's work bringing greg and daisy one step
20:19closer to opening for business we've got the banisters up we've got the ladder up we're on the final
20:24straight now i think but greg's next job is a tougher one marks get set go well done lucy oh
20:34more you want to go
20:36again get one then their motorbikes have been in storage for several years now it's down to greg to
20:43get them up and running it's exciting time we're really uh yeah we're sort of right on that edge now
20:48where we can uh sort of feel things happening it's all coming together
21:02back in benel madina the glass wash oh my god there is things moving in there okay that's going
21:10publicans adam and ali have given themselves three months to renovate and launch a new show bar
21:16and the hard grafts starts today it's in a very very poor state especially hygiene wise
21:23safety wise everything wise everything wise but i'm just super excited about being able to put our own
21:29stamp on this to help with major structural work adam and ali's son brogan will soon be arriving from
21:35the uk they've also enlisted the help of some of their bar staff like barman dylan dylan 50 rubble sacks
21:42there who has been tasked with removing a blanket of sand covering the bar terrace i just can't wait
21:49to see this area transformed while dylan gets his hands dirty tomorrow yeah that'd be great bar manager
21:55megs is hitting the phones to find acts to perform in the venue once it's ready can't wait to meet
22:01you
22:01properly the bar is in a state of disrepair and there are nasty surprises lurking around every corner
22:25you get out yeah everything just needs to be not just a clean it's going to be full of clean
22:36disinfectant
22:37we're not having here cockroaches adam before he found something in the dishwasher we're going to
22:43need a fumigating can i get past you please there's people working here
22:52outside dylan is also struggling to dig up the beach terrace
22:56my big problem right now is the bags aren't wide enough so they're not keeping themselves open
23:03it's slowing me down
23:08don't overfill it because it's uh i'll never move it
23:15when they're done just pop them here the bar equipment is also in a state of disrepair and needs
23:22to be replaced starting with the beer pumps i'm so tentative everything the touch they said just
23:32cut through all the lines is that right ali yeah adam's been told the pumps are already disconnected
23:37so he should be able to cut through the old lines
23:45it's not connected to any beer there's no gas on but it quickly becomes clear
23:51that the lines aren't quite as expected
23:55yeah it looks like it was connected there's an engineer here yesterday this wasn't his stuff
24:00he just said just cut through the lines if you just want to get it out
24:05yes how's that off i dread to think what's behind this next job two heavy coolers still filled with
24:14water just look at the gunge coming out of that it is just revolting the floor is alive by moving
24:25the
24:25cooler adam's disturbed a whole host of cockroaches drawn to the damp conditions around the pipework
24:33well it ain't rats the smaller ones are a bad sign as it usually means there's a nest nearby
24:41oh god and the problems just keep coming oh god we've got a leak here as well
24:50the engineer said just cut the pipes it'll be all right don't worry
24:54then we'll come and collect all the stuff
24:58in the 30 years in hospitality i've come across some dirty bars before and some insect problems but
25:04this is just another level oh of course of course the sink isn't plumbed in
25:11why would i think the sink would be plumbed in ah it's just gone out the pipe
25:15you know what it won't hurt having a bit of water on this floor will it it's it's just disgusting
25:21ali do you want to help nope you sure nope thank you it's uh lots of friends here ali
25:27but with every move the water keeps flowing i don't really know what i'm doing 100 here i'm just having
25:34to wing it a little bit but um i need to do this i need to get them out as
25:40much water and as as many
25:42creepy crawlies that come out it needs to be done simple as that what should have been a simple task
25:47is fast
25:47turning into a huge headache that goes where does that go
25:59coming up buyer's remorse for tracy and john
26:03uh-oh here's the bus oh yes i'm in trouble now oh it looks quite dark oh it's on there
26:11now
26:13and the horrors just keep coming
26:15oh this smell oh my god for adam and ali this is more like our new life in the swamp
26:29back in bulgaria it's april and tracy and john are running out of time to finish their newest holiday
26:36accommodation in time for the peak tourist season every aspect of the apartment is currently half finished
26:43but they want it ready for guests in just six weeks today john's tiling the bedroom we have chosen
26:53a lovely chocolate color
26:58i think it's because tracy likes chocolate
27:02a previous life as a welder was no preparation for john's semi-retirement as a renovator
27:09this is a really old drill they don't make any more it's three speed oh too fast
27:18but he's learning on the job
27:21and i think through my enthusiasm i put too much water in
27:25as well as holiday accommodation the couple also run the only shop and bar in the village
27:31put them there during the winter the shop doesn't turn a profit but it's become a lifeline for village
27:38locals this is the local cheese it's only made three kilometers away and it's like a feta cheese
27:46and it's called syreni this is a lutenitsa a lot of people home make it and it's from tomatoes and
27:56herbs and onions and peppers we've got uvka
28:01which is little bits of pastry and they make cakes out of it and other things
28:09when their campsite and holiday apartments begin to fill up in the summer the shop will turn a
28:14healthy profit and upstairs john is working hard to expand their accommodation offering
28:20uh oh here's the bus oh yes i'm in trouble now oh it looks quite dark doesn't it no it's
28:28on there now
28:30you can do some and i'll start washing off okay they've adjusted well to being colleagues as well as a
28:37couple there's two done only another 98 to go but not without the odd hiccup
28:45he's been a bit too bossy and then it starts with the
28:50and i just walk off i go on strike i never say yes you do and then you know he
29:00gets too bossy so i
29:01think right but it doesn't happen often but obviously normally once a day we're both human
29:14one room tiled one to go next on the list is the living space i always think it's tiling
29:24as a wet weather job but here in bulgaria we get a lot more sunny days than we do wet
29:33days so
29:34quite often you have to work inside even when the it's a lovely sunny day outside
29:40so there we go first tire of the day let's hope yeah that feels pretty good
29:49how are you getting on good okay with the summer season fast approaching tracy and john are pushing
29:57to get this apartment finished and booked we did have a few people last year that were interested in it
30:04so i'll send them a message and say it's it's all ready to go you know there is um friends
30:13as well
30:14that might want to come and test it for us i don't know we'll i'd rather it was paying guests
30:24but with just six weeks until their deadline there's still a lot left to do
30:36back on the costa del sol it's so wet and dirty adam and ali's new bar renovation has got
30:44off to a bumpy start this is incredibly heavy and mostly because of the water that's inside it
30:50and i'm thinking to use the truck over there with dylan's help let's go let's go adam needs to
31:00remove the old beer pumps and coolers that's a lot of water but it's turning into a more messy job
31:06than expected it's a lot lighter now
31:12no i think i prefer just serving people food and drinks rather than doing this
31:16one cooler down one to go
31:22that's a start we'll get that down the toilet i think
31:28this is more like our new life in the swamp that's what it feels like underfoot but give me
31:32half an hour and we'll uh we'll try and change that and with the second cooler successfully out of
31:39the way adam can make some headway behind the bar do you want a pair of glasses ali no yeah
31:46it's a pair
31:47of flashing glasses here inside is just crawling with cockroaches all inside a pair of flashing
31:54glasses look at those aren't they cool cockroaches are having their own disco
32:02oh this smell oh my god oh dear me it's just rancid a big part of the smell and the
32:09problem in this
32:10place is what's been going on underneath the bar here of all the moisture so it's out with the smelly
32:14matting and down with a chemical treatment to kill off any remaining bugs i seriously think ali we're
32:23going to have to jet wash this adam is finally making headway megsy give us an update as is bar
32:30manager megs who's been speaking to local music acts ahead of the bar launch in three months time
32:38so you put tony in for tuesdays tuesdays yeah and then this is what's going to happen on the following
32:43tuesday so it will be a frankie valley tribute yeah a diva show and then these two artists form a
32:51duo to make the greatest show which is a form of broadway sort of like the greatest showman
32:57now we can start to see it take shape we can start to see the bar take shape the terrace
33:01take shape
33:02you can start to see the show take shape exciting times
33:11outside barman dylan is not having as much luck with his efforts to clear a layer of sand off the
33:16bar
33:17terrace it rained this morning so the whole top layer of all the sand's gone quite hard i'm not
33:23giving up now yeah i guess yes it's already starting to you're starting to see what's underneath and i
33:30just can't wait to get this completely clear and jet washed whatever it looks like underneath it's
33:35going to look better than all this this stuff they put on top so who in their right mind does
33:41this to a
33:41lovely terrace hey i just don't get it it's looking better than i thought it would and we haven't
33:47even got a quarter of it off yet add some plants in some greenery it's a really nice it's a
33:53really
33:53nice place to come and have a drink in the afternoon because it's very peaceful here
33:57with all the tables and chairs are going to come quite soon for it and that's going to lift it
34:00again
34:00add some more plants in and then we'll see where that takes us we're going to order another 50 rubble
34:06sacks because clearly 50 is not going to be enough we all thought we'd ordered too many and 50 is
34:11probably going to do half that'll look really good to start off with and then another day we'll do the
34:16other half here getting this bar the way they want it won't happen overnight it's not my expertise
34:24to take things so i could just watch this for hours by watching the sea the waves i'm prepared to
34:30watch the sea in the waves is it as rewarding for you as it is for me ali yeah because
34:35i can see the
34:36end and i'll leave it to the end until this is done although there have been no more surprises behind
34:41the wallpaper ali isn't taking any chances it's no movement even so i don't want to even think what is
34:50above me it's been a very rewarding day you can see light at the end of the tunnel if we've
35:01done
35:01this in one day what we can achieve with the muscle coming next week as well yeah adam and ali
35:07knew this
35:08bar wasn't a turnkey business but nothing could have prepared them for the scale of the task ahead
35:15we're not going to fly through this it's going to still be a bit of an emotional roller coaster
35:19i'm looking forward to it yeah i can see the light
35:27coming up tight deadlines crank up the pressure on tracy and john you know sometimes we bite off more
35:34than we can chew and in those situations yeah it can get stress and greg and daisy so we've got
35:46the
35:46things to fix and i hope we've got enough parts probably find that out now
35:59back in cantabria greg and daisy's new biker business is finally motoring all their legal paperwork
36:07has now been signed off and they've got some exciting news we've got our first guests coming
36:13in a couple of weeks and i need to make sure i've got three motorbikes which are road ready
36:18the couple have invested in five motorbikes but some have not been ridden since before the covid
36:24pandemic the motorbikes we've probably had them for for probably about five years um but the in
36:31reality they've just been sat in the garage because of um lockdown so we weren't able to use them then
36:36and then we had two children and of course that sort of slows things down a bit so uh the
36:42motorcycle
36:42business went on to the back burner so they're going to need a little bit of love before we take
36:47anybody out on them ahead of their guests arriving greg needs to make sure his lockdown bikes are ready
36:53for the open road right today yeah bikes okay so we've got the guys coming in two weeks i need
37:02to make
37:02sure we've got three working bikes so is it him and his wife yes so he's experienced yeah she's just
37:08got her license but she mostly just rides a moped okay there's some things to fix and i hope we've
37:16got
37:16enough parts you should probably find that out now i will maybe today so that you can order them yeah
37:23with daisy still working remotely greg is flying solo i do know i need to replace a brake pedal on
37:32this one
37:33what else are we going to do um i've got a broken clutch lever on which one is it on
37:40this one here
37:41getting hold of the parts in spain for these bikes is a little more difficult and i've only got two
37:45weeks to get everything ready for the guests and i've got here my uh my handy little winch so i
37:51can lift
37:52the bikes up and work on them this upcoming booking is the perfect opportunity for greg and daisy to
37:59showcase their tours to their target market so we've got an english couple but they they do live
38:05in spain they seem like the ideal client the sort of people that we're expecting to go forward with
38:11they found this through social media which is amazing really because we've we've not really
38:15done a huge amount at the moment um we've put a website together but it's pretty basic and we've
38:20put a few pictures on instagram but um we're certainly not active at the moment although we need to start
38:25doing that with so much invested in the venture already and only daisy's income to rely on it's
38:33crucial that the business starts paying for itself we're close to uh 25 000 euros um in for the bikes
38:41and
38:41uh yeah we really need to start getting some um some paying guests in and riding them those you won't
38:46be happy if i don't but while 25 000 euros is a big outlay the couple haven't gone full throttle
38:53just yet
38:55you know starting a new business we didn't want to um invest crazy amounts i mean you know the sky's
39:01the limit with with motorcycles i mean i'd like to look at getting some some different bikes in the future
39:06um hopefully when we're proving that there's a business in this and we're successful luckily even
39:12after five years in storage the bikes are running fine there we go sweet as a nut yeah so it's
39:23time for a test
39:24ride set on the edge of a national park greg and daisy see the layabana valley as the perfect playground
39:36for visiting bikers renowned for its unique microclimate the sunnier and drier weather is an added
39:43attraction for visitors it's a freedom that you don't get doing anything else you're up in the
39:49mountains 500 meters from my doorstep and it's um yeah we have this this just stunning environment to
39:55take the bikes out in i've given up an office life in bristol in the uk for well this is
40:01my office here in
40:01spain i couldn't ask for more it's fantastic so if we can make this business work then yeah we'll be
40:09we'll be very happy very happy greg and daisy's life savings now ride on selling this area as a
40:17desirable destination to fellow petrol heads but greg is feeling optimistic i think it's it's something
40:25that that people will really enjoy at the moment which would there's very little competition here
40:29we're quietly confident i would pay for it so um yeah hopefully there's other people out there who
40:35would do that too
40:43it's june in bulgaria and with the warm weather came a flood of bookings at tracy and john's campsite
40:50and retreat there we go but one place visitors won't be staying is their new two-bedroom apartment
40:58which isn't quite ready but john's pleased with progress as you can see we've finished tiling we've
41:06just got a little bit of grouting to do here so that is the kitchen pretty much finished one of
41:13the
41:13bedrooms is mostly done but the lounge still needs work and the clock is ticking it's slower than tracy
41:21would like i'm hoping that the flat will be ready for guests mid-july and i'll start advertising it
41:31sort of maybe the beginning of july when i definitely see a deadline we've had some inquiries so
41:36we'll then get it all set up and go for it
41:44but seven weeks later there's a bigger setback to overcome a safety inspection highlighted an
41:51issue with the steps leading up to the apartment and it can't be rented out until they fit a secure
41:57railing so what we're doing now is we put the earth lead from the
42:02mig welder a mig welder is a welder that sends a piece of wire through and as it hits the
42:09metal
42:10it's got electric power going through it which heats up very fast and it welds the metal together
42:18luckily john is a welder by trade
42:22it's a tiny little tech to start with and john isn't just keeping his trade skills sharp
42:28he's also saving a lot of money custom made thing like this even in bulgaria they were talking about
42:34five six thousand leaves that works out at over two thousand pounds but the railing isn't the only
42:42remaining job inside the apartment there's also grouting and painting to take care of
42:49you know sometimes we bite off more than we can chew like like you do and in those situations
42:56yeah it can get stressful when you first start a business like this it's new you've never done it
43:05before you know you've you've got to be on a steep learning curve for a lot of things their decision
43:12not to use trades to renovate the apartment has set the couple back several months but it makes
43:18every finished task all the more satisfying that looks amazing oh wow can't even get your head stuck
43:28which is even better and now they have an added motivator they've just taken a booking in the
43:35apartment two weeks from now we'll make a lot of progress in the next two or three days yeah the
43:41architraves around the door a small bit of painting a small amount of grouting um curtain to be put up
43:48around the hot water tank and then furniture to be moved in it's a bit stressful but although in another
43:56way it's really good no it doesn't bother me that much at all he doesn't worry about deadlines i do
44:02but
44:02he doesn't i find um the more you try to go fast the slower it happens what is it more
44:09haste no more
44:10haste less speed yeah that's what we're going to count on this time it'll all be ready yeah we'll be
44:15ready to go we're quite confident next time it doesn't often rain in spain um but when it does it
44:26really rains biblical problems for adam and ali with the smallest bucket we have trying to uh unblock
44:33the terrace i think she'll be here till next year doing that greg and daisy feel the weight of
44:38pressure have you got a chiropractor in the village yeah as they push to open for business
44:44we've got a lot riding on this our futures our children's futures and is the end in sight for tracy
44:50and john we've had a bit of bad news yeah um the guests that were coming tomorrow she's fallen over
44:58and broken her ankle
45:28so
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