Thank you everyone for the encouragement and all the useful comments.
I was thinking of doing some form of formal mechanic qualification and some first aid training. The chauffeur/taxi type qualification is something I will need to look at too. Ah, lots to think about.
Our thinking is tending towards somewhere very near to the town of Bala itself - a small cottage or town house with room to sleep 4-6 and with a decent kitchen, bathroom and sitting room. There are a few decent pubs and other places to eat as well as quite a few useful shops. I also have some family connections with the area and got to know the place through childhood holidays. I used to carry my horrendous 40lb Peugeot Ranger across the moorland as a nipper.
Our first Welsh lessons are booked for June. Although my family comes from near by I have never learned Welsh before and it's something I'm looking forward to.
Between now and then, we have to sell the house, I have to make 60 chairs for a client in London and then organise the movement of the workshop machinery - oh and buy somewhere to live and work in Wales. It'll be a busy few months.
I'll keep you updated.
Rich