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'You couldn't pay me to move back to England'

Ros Tappenden
BBC News
Lewis Vye Jordan Vye smiling for the camera while she paints a door frame. She has long blonde hair tied in a ponytail and large metal rimmed glasses. She is holding a tin of dark green paint in one hand and a paint brush in the other.Lewis Vye
Jordan Vye says she is closer to the life she wants

It's been three years since Lewis and Jordan Vye packed up their rented flat in Bournemouth and moved their family to Bulgaria.

The couple had bought a dilapidated farmhouse online for £7,000, only viewing it for the first time when they arrived with their two children and belongings.

Despite fond memories of home and now facing a new set of challenges, they insist they have no regrets.

"I really enjoy my life here and, the truth is, I don't think you could pay me to return - I enjoy it that much," said Mr Vye.

Lewis and Jordan Vye Family photo of Lewis and Jordan Vye with their son and young daughter. They are sitting at the base of a tree hugging each other and smiling at the camera.Lewis and Jordan Vye
The family have fond memories of home but stand by their decision to leave

The property in Haskovo Province included a two-acre (0.8 hectare) plot of land, a barn and a house but it had been abandoned for 20 years.

It was uninhabitable when the family arrived, leaving them no choice but to live in their caravan.

"We've been working hard," said Mr Vye. "It's in a better state now.

"It's been tough - I don't come from a building background and we had no choice but to renovate this property. That in itself has been stressful."

Lewis and Jordan Vye A boy and a young girl play outside in a sandpit in a giant tractor tyre. They are surrounded by grass and greenery.Lewis and Jordan Vye
The Vyes wanted to give their children, now aged four and 12, a better life

The pair have been documenting their progress on social media, watched by hundreds of thousands of followers.

Ms Vye said: "It's great for us because we get to look back and see how bad it was and how far we've come.

"I'm not going to lie and say there are things we don't miss [about England] but I'm definitely closer to the life I want."

Jordan Vye A video still of Lewis Vye plastering around a doorway inside the house. His back is to the camera and he's wearing green cargo trousers and a padded bodywarmer. The walls are a mixture of old pink wallpaper and exposed brick.Jordan Vye
The Vyes have been turning their derelict farmhouse into a family home

The couple say they were inspired after "binge watching" Ben Fogle's TV series, New Lives in the Wild, about people starting new lives in remote places.

Life went full circle when, earlier this year, they appeared on their own episode of the Channel 5 show.

"Oh man, what a dream come true," said Mr Vye. "We wouldn't be here without watching that because it gave us the courage to get up and go for it ourselves.

"We've lived the majority of our lives in Bournemouth. It's not that we've got a bad thing to say about it - but it was time for us to go on a different adventure."

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