A GROUP of four Coventrians have packed their bags and swapped the city for southwest France to set up their new cycling business.
Husband and wife duos Marcus Gough and Charlotte Corner, and sister Melanie Corner and Jim Sewell, sold up their Earlsdon terraces and shipped out to France to renovate a barn in preparation for their new cycling holiday business.
Now, their adventure, which saw them leave behind friends, family and full-time jobs, will feature on a Channel 4 programme ‘A New Life in the Sun’.
The show, which follows British expats chasing new lives abroad, will show how in just six months the group of ‘thirty-somethings’ fixed up a farmhouse, renovated a four-bed barn and set up their new cycling holiday enterprise, Tours du Tarn.
Marcus Gough, previously a contracts officer at the University of Warwick turned resident cyclist of the venture, said: “It’s fair to say that the lifestyle out here is very different to the life we left behind.
“From day one we were forced to get out of our comfort zone and get to grips with a whole new set of skills, including speaking French and talking to a camera crew.
“In any given day we could be turning our hands to plumbing, electrics and hard landscaping, to writing web copy, understanding html code and being followed by cameras.
“Despite a few set backs, all of our efforts came together and after a successful summer of self-catering guests, our cycling holiday enterprise is now ready for bookings, which is exactly where we hoped we would be at this stage.
“It is sometimes hard, and we miss people, but seeing everything take shape makes leaving our lives in Coventry behind that bit easier to swallow.”
Tours du Tarn, named after a famous cycle race and the area of southwest France where the group now live, will offer cycling holidays for leisure and road cyclists, with brand new accommodation, three-course meals, local wines and airport transfers.
Melanie Corner, previously family learning officer at The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, said Tours du Tarn offered guests something a bit different.
She added: “Guests are based in one place for their entire stay meaning they can get settled in our comfortable accommodation, spend their days enjoying the cycling, wonderful countryside and weather, whilst we look after them with hearty breakfasts, delicious evening meals and some of the best of the region’s wines.
“Having our every move filmed was a challenge, particularly during such a pressurised period, but we maintained our enthusiasm because it was such an important and exciting time.
“Hopefully the publicity that the show brings will make it all worth it.”
Visit www.tarncyclingholidays.com for early-bird offers for the 2017 cycling holiday season.
Channel 4’s A New Life in the Sun airs every day at 3.00pm with Tours du Tarn set to make their debut on Monday, January 16.
