Me and the Mrs have both been really hacked off with work for the last year or more, and it’s begining to get us down.

Have a dream of opening a MTB friendly holiday set up and have seen a place with potential nicely situated for Ae, Mabie, Dalbeattie, Kirroughtree, Glentrool area.

Has outbuildings set around a courtyard which I would like to turn into accommodation, bike wash, secure storage, washing/drying room etc.

No kids to worry about and the Mrs would have option to work from home so keep an income whilst it was being set up.

Questions really I suppose are,
Would there be enough trade to make it viable?
What accommodation would people be after, bunk/YHA style, camping, individual self catering?
How much would you expect to pay?

On the viability question I would hope to have it up and running and be mortgage free funded by current house equity, sale of shares and premium bonds etc.

As Im not experienced in this field I wasn’t thinking of B&B, but this could be an option in the future, would like to offer collection from nearest train station, drop off’s at trail centres and possibly guided routes of non trail centre area’s (after taking leader courses etc)

Any thoughts, advice, opinions welcome, oh and of course your all welcome to 10% discount 😀

I had a bit of a look into this a while ago. Only amateur ponderings tho so give them the value they deserve :-0

Income will not be huge. Mortgage free you might be able to get a small income after costs. Costs will be higher than you guess.

Personally I would want a double en suite room – but can be very basic. I’d pay £40 – £50 a night for a basic double room with the ability to make coffee and tea. Bunk houses do do good business tho allover Scotland.

I would look at maximising and varying your accomodation so say 3 small dorms and a couple of double rooms so you can put up a mix of groups of young folk, families and couples. Keep the accomodation flexible.

Offering food will widen your audience I would have thought – no need to be gourmet but large portions of basic scoff. Certainly a basic breakfast

One of yo at least needs to go and work in the hospitality industry for a summer to gain some experiences and you needs other skills as well such as book keeping and so on, Especially in Dumfries area help will be available I would have thought

Can you compete with the Glentress Hotel?

http://home.btconnect.com/glentress/

TJ, my ponderings are also very much amateur at present.
Interesting though you say about wanting something above bunk house style, I would hope to have bunk house style accomm with a communial kitchen/lounge, and also a couple of individual 1 beds, still self catering but with own kitchen and bathroom.

CharlieMungus, The Glentress looks very nice, and that’s what Im really asking I suppose, is that what people are looking for and are willing to pay?
Are sleeps 8 type lodges in short supply?

Hugh – thats just me personally – I absolutely loathe sharing a room with anyone but MRs TJ 🙂

I’d be happy with bunk house standard – can even cope without ensuite but I don’t want some other smelly noisy bugger in my room

Don’t underestimate the skills you need to do this.

I’ve stayed in a variety of places, from fancy self catering cottages to hotels to campsites.

Have a look at http://www.tweedvalleybikehouse.com/ for a great example of specific bike accommodation.

Look at http://www.greenhead-holidays.co.uk/ for a cracking example of the same.

TJ, Im the same (no not about sharing with Mrs TJ!) if I was with the Mrs I would want privacy.

If I was with a group though bunk style would be fine.

I certainly don’t underestimate what’s involved, but I’m also keen to learn more about what’s involved.

I’m not a gambler and very rarely do anything on a whim (apart from buy bikes and bits) I have worked hard to get to a fairly comfortable position financially and wouldn’t want to flitter it away on a venture that was never going to work.

Im 43 though and feel I still have the gumption to give this a go before it’s too late?

I’ve run my own company for 20 years and do all the books day to day and wages, VAT returns etc, so think I could handle that side.

A course or something in the hospitality industry would be of benefit as you rightly say.

Another aspect is can you work and live with your missus? the reason we did not do this was we decided we would kill each other 🙂

You needa wider market as well – birdwatchers, ramblers etc. No more summer hols for you either – only hols in winter as its summer you would make your money. Long days and long weeks

crikey – as you say a couple of very good examples of what I suppose we would be competing against.

Certainly the tweed valley one was what I had in mind for the bunk house side of things.

If you look at the rates there asking and I also had a couple of self contained 1 bed units, I think the returns could work?

Although Im a pipefitter, I have done plumbing, and a keen mtb mate is a NEICC approved sparky and has already said he will come up and work for free accomm.

TJ, working with the Mrs would be fine, we don’t spend enough time together at present.

I spoke to a mate who goes to Scotland walking a couple of times a year, he like most I think heads for the bigger hills though?

No summer hols is not a problem, having no kids means we rarely go away in traditional holiday times and more often than not go away for Xmas etc.

I can see Im talking myself into this? I certainly don’t expect to get rich, it’s more doing something I will enjoy, as long as it covers the bills.

I’ve stayed at the brakepad in Castle Douglas before (2006 I think) and it was great, massive breakfast, bike storage. I just googled them and Ion’t know why they don’t do B&B any more, maybe they had to sell, maybe they make more money off the bike shop. Either way the business model can’t have been great…

Hugh – not just mountaineers but ramblers. a quick google gives
http://walking.visitscotland.com/walks/southscotland/
http://www.visitdumfriesandgalloway.co.uk/walking/ for example – I think there is birdwatching as well.
http://www.fatbirder.com/links_geo/europe/scotland_dumfries_and_galloway.html

IOf yo want to do it do it. Don’t bet your shirt on it tho.

Check out the dales bike centre.

http://www.dalesbikecentre.co.uk/index.html

I’ve stayed there, recently. Its a really good set up, a mega alternative to camping and trad bunkhouse style accom.