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.
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.”
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.