A couple who bought a Scottish castle had to live in a van and spent two years living abroad to pay off debts for their dream home.
Stef, 40, and Simon Burgon, 37, first set their eyes on 16th century Kilmartin Castle, in Lochgilphead , on a Facebook post in 2014 and instantly fell in love.
The Newcastle native and her Australian husband were living in Dubai when she spotted an article with the headline: 'Buy a Scottish Castle for the same price as a London parking space!’.
The pair flew over to Scotland to view the old ruin in the Highlands and decided instantly they would need to live there.
It was a decision that would see them rack up huge debts and live in a van in their garden to see their dream come to life.
Stef told the Mirror : ""We’d just got back from a winter trip to the Highlands, and had fallen in love with the place.
"I was half-joking when I showed Simon the article, but soon we were researching the area and dreaming of the move.
"We were tired of life in the UAE ."
She added: "We knew if we could handle the dreary Scottish weather in January and still love the place, we could relocate there.
"We flew to see Kilmartin and from that moment we knew we had to live there.
The 16th century castle had been a ruin for years and had trees growing up through the floors and no roof - but that didn't stop the pair.
Fighting off the competition, the couple managed to secure the property but realised quickly that finances were going to be a problem.
Stef said: "The castle was on the market for £375,000 and we sat in a cafe agonising about what to offer in the sealed bid.
"As we walked out of the cafe a bird pooed on Simon, taking it as a sign, we bid at £331,780 – and won!
"No lenders wanted to offer us a mortgage for a 500-year-old building, so we had to get an offshore company to give us the money – but only on 50%.
"We had nowhere near the £165,000 we needed, so we took out a huge loan in Dubai, and applied for multiple credit cards.
The couple couldn't afford to move to Scotland to work on their new home and were forced to head back to Dubai for two years to pay off their debt.
Stef said: "We had to go back to Dubai, so we gave the castle a lick of paint and aired it out. Then we put it on AirBnB for £165 a night and it filled up quickly."
"It was two more years before we were in a position to quit our jobs and leave.
Renovations started in January this year but the couple then had to live in a van in their garden while the work was being completed.
Stef said: "Living in our van, we began demolishing the stud walls ourselves while the builders finished work nearby.
"It was hard graft and Simon and I both lost weight.
"With no running water, we couldn’t shower and we ended up wearing the same clothes for days at a time.
"I remember saying six days before my birthday, ‘All I want for my birthday is a shower,’ but I didn’t get one for another 10 days!
"Everything over-ran, and we had to cancel our first month’s booking, losing £7,000 .
"Plus, we went £70,000 over budget – we were back in debt with loans.
"Finally, it was finished in late July."
As soon as work on the castle was finished it started to book out quite quickly.
Stef said: "We had back-to-back bookings of the whole castle for two months, so we haven’t spent a night there yet.
"But we’re about to go back and set it up as a B&B, living there full-time.
"They are priced from £140 and bookings have been pouring in. This is going to be our full-time job now, we’re so excited.
"All those months of hard work, debts and freezing in the camper van?
"Everything was worth it in the end."
- Follow Stef and Simon's renovations on The Great Hotel Escape, Monday, 4pm, Channel 4. To book a room, click here .
