A Wharfedale family following their dream have defeated the odds to create an idyllic Tuscan hideaway.

Richard Turnbull and his wife Sarah Fraser decided to go back to basics and swap Otley for La Vida Dolce.

In May, they sold their Bradford Road house and bought an 18th century Tuscan farmhouse called Casa del Sole, with 15 acres of land, 350 olive trees and their own private waterfall.

Eight months later, they are producing their own olive oil, rearing chickens and ready to rent out holiday villas - but it hasn't been an easy ride.

The couple and their three-year-old son Gregory have battled with no hot water, an outside toilet, unreliable builders and a renovation bill five times more than their budget. But they have accomplished their dream.

Sitting on their sun-drenched terrace, sipping a chilled glass of wine, they can smile in the knowledge that their hard work and sacrifices have paid off.

"It is just amazing. It is everything that I hoped it would be," said Sarah, who is expecting her second child in July.

"There is never a dull moment. I have absolutely no regrets. I had only been to Italy as a child and Richard had been twice before and he loved it. Richard knew a little Italian but I didn't know any. Everyone was very surprised when we told them.

"There are things we miss, mainly fish and chips and curries, but nothing else. It is just fantastic. I haven't come across anything I really hate. The worst thing is the outside toilet and shower but hopefully I will have a bathroom soon.

"We fell in love with the house the moment we saw it. It looked so beautiful. It needed renovating from scratch though. In total, the repairs have cost us £30,000."

The whirlwind move took just three months from seeing the house on the internet to actually moving in.

They left England not conversant with the Italian language, only £5,000 for renovation work and a basic knowledge of gardening.

They believe they will need a yearly income of £12,000 to survive and hope the holiday flats will generate income of £9,000 and that a further £3,000 will come from producing olive oil.

Their biggest struggle was the conversion of the barn to a holiday cottage after they found damp, rotting mortar and holes in the roof.

Richard saved the family £2,000 by digging out the foundations but he has had to return to Ilkley on a part-time basis to continue his DJ business Dancebox to raise the extra funds.

"It turned out to be a bigger job than we thought it would be." said Richard, a Sir Jimmy Savile impersonator.

"It is a big wrench returning to England to continue the DJ business but in the long run it will be worth it."

They have also faced other challenges from Sarah being electrocuted by faulty wiring to an infestation of Colorado Beetles eating their potatoes.

But the holiday villas are now completed and will be available for letting from April. The olives provide their other source of income and the couple have survived their first harvest.

It took them two months, working 12 hours a day, to pick the olives from their 350 trees to send them to a communal olive mill for pressing.

"Making the olive oil is the simplest thing to do on the farm," said the 28-year-old.

"We prune the trees, pick the olives and take them to an olive mill. The hardest part is that you need 350 kilograms of olives before you can get an appointment to use the press.

"We worked 12 hour shifts to get it done, working through the night to pick them all. It worked out that we made 50p an hour. The harvest is in November and we finished it by Christmas. Gregory keeps wanting to climb the trees and we have to stop him."

The couple aim to be self-sufficient by growing their own food. Sarah had experience of rearing chickens and horticulture from her childhood in Menston and using these skills she was determined to create an organic garden.

Her major battle is against weeds but the farm is a success and she has grown everything from courgettes to aubergines.

The farm already has an abundance of fruit trees, producing apricots, apples, cherries and kiwis, which keeps Sarah busy making jams and chutney.

The couple are taking Italian lessons and their son attends the village nursery. The only thing left is for the builders to fit their bathroom.

Sarah said: "I still want a bathroom.The builders are supposed to start next week but they have been saying that since October. We have got hot water but not a shower. We have a bath we put in the front of the fire which we fill with hot water.

"I'm sure in ten years time I will look back and laugh at this, but it seems a long time off now."

Looking to the future, they are hoping the holiday business will take off and have already secured a number of bookings.

They have set up a website so people can book online and view the holiday cottages.

"We are living the dream. In a short time we achieved what we dreamed it would be like," said Richard, 36. As part of the Tuscan experience, holidaymakers will also be given the opportunity to take Italian lessons and to cook traditional Tuscan dishes.

Anyone interested in seeing their Tuscan retreat, which is near Pisa and Florence, can log on to their website at www.casadelsole.co.uk.