Wendy and Colin Clements

Name: Wendy and Colin Clements
Born: England and the Falkland Islands, respectively
Lived in Scotland: 2 years

Wendy and Colin Clements are a modern phenomenon in the flesh – a couple who gave up high-flying careers for a more relaxed, rural existence.

Sitting in the sun-filled living room of their impressive Victorian mansion, Wendy explains what led the intrepid pair to Scotland.

“I used to be an accountant for a global pharmaceutical company in Amsterdam. By the end it was very stressful. I was responsible for Northern Europe so I was travelling a lot, making big decisions and working with huge budgets.

“I was often working twelve hour days. When they wanted to add two hours commuting every day, I decided I needed a break.”

Wendy made a decision that would change her life. She left her job and went travelling.

Before she left, however, Wendy made contact with another traveller via the Internet. He was looking for a companion to join him on a trip across Africa and although the timing didn’t suit Wendy’s plans, she contacted him again on her return to the UK.

The other traveller was Colin and the rest, as they say, is history.

“Colin and I met up in Uganda and fell in love very quickly. When we came back to the UK we gave up our jobs and got married!”

After honeymooning in Africa, they began looking for properties and business opportunities in the UK. An unsuccessful hunt around the Cotswolds in England was followed by a trip to Scotland to visit Colin’s parents.

“I hadn’t really thought about Scotland as an option,” says Wendy, “but the difference in property prices was incredible. When we saw what was available, we thought ‘wow’.

“You get so much more for your money up here. We could get a small estate in Scotland for the same price as a three-bedroom house in the Cotswolds!

“We had started to think that being our own boss was maybe just a dream. You know, we thought ‘that would be nice’. But when we came up to Scotland we realised it was actually quite possible.”

Wendy and Colin found the perfect property and after much persistence, and some stress, they successfully closed the deal. The Pines Guesthouse in Elgin was theirs. With some business start-up support from the local enterprise company, advice from their solicitor and help from Colin’s parents, they were in business.

Two years later, how does the dream match up to the reality?

“It’s much harder work than we imagined,” laughs Wendy. “We work seven days a week, especially during the summer.

“People come to the area for whisky, castles and the outdoors. The guesthouse is exceeding our business plan and we’re always busy. We keep planning to put the ‘no vacancies’ sign up and go off on holiday but it’s difficult to turn people away.

“The climate up here is way, way better than we ever thought,” Wendy continues enthusiastically. “When friends come to visit they always absolutely love it, especially the ones with young families. They’re in shorts and sandals all day; they can’t believe it’s warm enough to spend so much time on the beach.”

“And we have great facilities up here. We’re close to the airports at Inverness and Aberdeen, so travelling isn’t a problem.”

Life for Colin has changed dramatically too. His career as an automotive designer meant he used to be stuck behind a computer all day. Now, early starts and busy days are broken with long walks on the beach with Wendy and their dog, Max.

“I suppose life isn’t as glamorous,” Wendy muses. “In Amsterdam and London I was living the high-life, you know, beers on sunny terraces after work, that kind of thing. But I was single then and younger. I was ready for a change of pace.

“Sure, we don’t go out for dinner as much but life’s so much more laid back. Before, my friends had to book me at least a week in advance if they wanted to meet up. Now I’m much more relaxed. I’ve taken up African Drumming and belly dancing classes instead!”

Of course, Wendy’s idea of relaxed is still pretty busy!

Keen to stay active, she got involved with the local Moray Tourism Forum and immediately found herself organising the annual Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. The 2005 festival was a huge success and took the event to new heights. Wendy is currently organising sponsorship from the Whisky companies for 2006 and has put together another funding proposal for EventScotland who backed last year’s festival.

So have this adventurous couple really settled for good?

Wendy laughs. “We do have itchy feet, but mainly just for the four months in the winter. We’d love to find someone who could look after the guesthouse over the winter so we could jet off on our travels.

“Colin was saying just the other day that he wants a retirement place near here with a view of the sea, so I guess we’re staying put for a while. And that’s fine with me.”

You can meet some of the people who attended the Gala Opening of the 2005 Speyside Whisky Festival

Related information

• Visit Wendy and Colin’s website for The Pines Guesthouse
• Find out more about the Moray Tourism Forum
• Visit the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival website
• Discover the Spirit of Speyside Walking Festival
• Find out more about the area from the VisitScotland website
• A website all about Elgin
• Access a list of all the whisky distilleries in Speyside
• EventScotland supports major events across Scotland
• Start-up advice and support is available from Business Gateway
• Find details about local Chambers of Commerce
• Search for properties in the area
• Aberdeen airport
• Inverness airport