Bournemouth family move to Bulgaria due to UK mortgage rates

Lewis Vye, and his wife, Jordan, left their two-bed rental house in Bournemouth and moved 1,788 miles to Haskovo Province in Bulgaria, in June last year.

Jordan got the idea from a friend of a friend who told her she had bought a house in the country for £3k.

After mulling over the idea and constantly checking Rightmove for properties, the pair bought a two-acre plot of land which included a three-bedroom house, a barn and outbuildings for £7k – cheaper than the £300k mortgage they were facing in the UK.

Land in Bulgaria purchased by the Vye family for £7k (Image: SWNS/Lewis Vye)

Jordan and Lewis, both aged 31, informed their family of the move, sold most of their belongings and packed up their caravan before arriving in Bulgaria with their children, Leo, 11, and Fae, two.

The couple say their quality of life has improved as they have more time to spend with their children and each other.

Jordan, a freelance social media manager originally from Bournemouth, said: “We were really struggling with the whole mortgage thing.

“We had our son at 19 and moved into a flat that we couldn't afford, it all started from there.

“Even with two wages, it wasn't something that seemed achievable for us in the UK.

Jordan Vye with her daughter Fae at their home in Bulgaria (Image: SWNS/Lewis Vye)

“It hasn't been easy but there is such a great community here in Bulgaria.”

She added: “It was also the countryside element, we had always wanted to live in the countryside.

“In Bournemouth, if you want a house in the countryside, it was never going to happen for us.”

Since arriving in Bulgaria, the couple have been doing all the renovations themselves and Lewis said he aims to have the whole project finished in 10 years.

The former engineer said: “We have done a lot of work so far - we have redone all the plumbing and the electrics.

“We have patched up the roofs on three buildings, we have built a septic tank system, so we have all the sewage in place.”

Lewis and Jordan Vye work on their land in Bulgaria (Image: SWNS/Lewis Vye)

The couple are documenting their renovation journey on their YouTube channel - @frombournemouthtobulgaria - and admit the journey hasn't been easy.

Jordan said: “I remember pulling up in the caravan and we parked it in the middle of our land and were unpacking.

“I remember looking at all our stuff with flies all over the food and I thought 'what are we doing'.

“When we arrived, people realised we were struggling so people would turn up with bags of vegetables.

“It was lovely, the day we pulled up, next door came round, and they were all helping to get us moved in.”