Person with whom I have a holiday home share is selling

When I started working clinically in 1999 I knew that I would never be able to afford a home in the area in which I worked. I didn’t want to commute and I rented a small place. In 2003 I had a conversation with a colleague who had spent a lot of time in the same area. He asked if I had ever thought about a holiday home share. He told me that his brother had owned a property outright for a number of years. He had 3 friends who each owned 1/4 of the property. They each paid £2000 a year to cover the mortgage and expenses. Each person had 3 months a year in which they could stay in the property. I thought this sounded like a great way in which to have a holiday home. He put me in touch with his brother and his wife. They showed me around the property and I invested £10,000 to cover the deposit. They sold 1/4 of the property to me and I have split the expenses and had 3 months a year since 2003. I have spent a lot of time in the property and got to know the owners well. They are lovely and do all of the work to keep the property going. In 2003 the property was worth £40,000. It is now worth £185,000. The owners are selling up to buy a campervan and travel. They have given me first refusal on buying the property outright. I am thinking about it. So many thoughts are going through my head. I have never owned a property outright before. It would be wonderful to have a holiday home. How would I work the logistics of owning a property 300 miles from my home? I would miss the owners who have been good friends. So many thoughts. What would you do?