A Huddersfield man has revealed the  triumphs and sometimes considerable  tribulations of living in Spain in a new book. 

Craig Briggs’ story  shows that uprooting  and going in search of  a totally new life can throw  up some major problems –  and all is outlined in his  book called Journey To A  Dream.

Originally from Lockwood, Craig  was educated at Crosland Moor  Junior School, Moor End High  School and Huddersfield New  College.

He eventually bought into a  printing company in Dewsbury and  after 13 years sold his stake to  finance the dream move with his  wife, Melanie.

As a child, Melanie (nee Kidd) lived  in Crosland Moor and Dalton and  was educated at Almondbury High  School. Her mum, Jennifer, still  lives in Golcar.

In May 2002, Craig and Melanie  jumped off the treadmill of life in  Huddersfield and headed for Spain.

They avoided the tourist-packed  Costas and headed for a very  different destination, Galicia – a  remote and little known region in  the northwest corner of the Iberian  Peninsula.

Craig said: “With a little help from  the locals we quickly settled into  our new, relaxed lifestyle, but the  search for a new home soon  changed that.

“We encountered a freelance estate  agent of dubious character and,  after several failed attempts to buy a  home, were forced to reassess our  goals.

“Worse was to follow – a brush with  the law, a temperamental builder  and the mysterious disappearance  of our life savings. The spectre of  failure and a penniless return to  England loomed large.”

The house did not have the most  promising of starts.

Craig writes: “Gingerly we  approached the open door. Housed  inside was a small herd of cows,  covered in their own effluent and  living directly below the upstairs  accommodation.

“The floor was literally swimming  in cow muck. The stink from the  rotting vegetables, combined with  the rising, methane-fuelled odours  of the effluent, was festering in the  living accommodation above.

“As we walked slowly back to the  car Jamie assured us that should we  decide to buy the house the stables  would be thoroughly cleaned. His  comments reminded me of the old  adage that “a good smell sells.”

It usually refers to the rich aroma of  freshly-made coffee or newly-baked  bread. I doubt the Galician recipe  of rotting vegetables and cow muck  will ever catch on.”

They didn’t get this one, but in 2006  bought a similar property in a far  worse state of repair and  the  couple’s problems really began once  they’d bought this remodelling  project.

The back of Craig Briggs' Spanish house before remodelling
The back of Craig Briggs' Spanish house before remodelling

Craig adds: “What greeted us was a  scene of utter mayhem and  destruction.

“In the middle of the garden,  halfway between the house and the  front edge of the pool, was an  ageing JCB. All four wheels had  sunk into the mud. It was so deeply  embedded that the body of the  excavator was resting on the muddy  ground.

“Tons of oozing wet mud, excavated  from the trench, were piled high  around the sides of the garden  obscuring the once bright-white  walls. The only recognisable features  in this chaotic landscape were the  speckled cream flagstones around  the top of the pool, creating a vivid  outline of its shape.

“Surely, even in the darkest days of  the Great War, the fields of  Flanders could  not have looked so wretched.”

But despite all the setbacks they  pushed on, determined to achieve  their goal, captured in another  excerpt from the book.

“‘Oh my God, look at this!’  exclaimed Melanie, staring out of  the kitchen window.

“My heart sank. Surely the pool  hadn’t risen again. I rushed across  to the window and peered out.  Stretched out before us in the  middle of the garden was a brand  new swimming pool.

“After months of catastrophic  problems and agonising delays we  finally had our finished pool – an  unimaginable sight that made the  long wait worthwhile.”

The back of Craig Briggs' Spanish house after remodelling
The back of Craig Briggs' Spanish house after remodelling

And life certainly now has its funny  side. Craig said: “Our new home in  the village of Canabal falls under  the administrative centre of Sober  council. Every year, on the weekend  of Palm Sunday, Sober hosts its  annual wine fiesta.

“When we first heard of the event  we thought someone was having a  joke. How on earth can a wine  fiesta be held in a place called  Sober? Even now, the mere thought  of it brings a smile to my face.”

And he adds: “Our journey from  dreamland to mainland Spain was  colourful, bumpy and, at times,  dangerous, but eventually we  realised our dream.”

Journey To A Dream is  exclusively available through  Amazon in paperback or as a  Kindle e-book but for your chance  to win a free copy visit Craig’s  Facebook page at Journey to a  Dream – Craig Briggs.