A couple are poised for the adventure of a lifetime as they tour Europe in a motorhome - with their English Bulldogs for company.

Jason and Elizabeth Brierley are making the move after selling the doggie daycare business they’d spent five years building for a six-figure sum.

Jason, 44, well-known in Carlisle for his business interests, was the driving force behind the enterprise, while Elizabeth continued her involvement with a salon they own.

He said: “My wife and I had a conversation during which we looked at what we valued more - money, or time.

“We decided that time was far more important and the opportunity was there for us to grab life and live it while we can. You never know what’s around the corner.”

The business - Luxury Kennels at Wood Villa - is based in the hamlet of Mill Hill, near Gretna.

Jason took the decision to open it after he and Elizabeth sold two beauty salons they owned which he had played a role in running.

He had a life-long love of dogs so, in 2014, the company opened with three kennels. That grew to five, then seven, and then to 10 kennels.

It built a solid reputation based on Jason’s policy of socialising all dogs which stayed at there - and for daily images of them gamboling through fields or playing together on social media.

“It definitely became something a little different,” said Jason. “We got to the stage where owners would call us to see when we could fit their dogs in, then book their holidays around our availability.

“It was never about the money - it was about the lifestyle. Days out in the fresh air; summer nights and winter mornings.”

The Brierleys are set for their road trip with canine companions Junior and Ruby.

The deal to sell the business was brokered by Carlisle-based legal firm Cartmell Shepherd.

Rebecca Toppin, a commercial property law expert with the company, took the lead on that work and said: “It’s always a pleasure to complete a piece of work for a client and to deliver on their expectations. Jason had a wonderful business to sell and it was great to be involved in that process.”