Profile information
Host rating
85 %
Feedback
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Email verified
Details
Description
We are a brother and sister, who recently moved to France, sharing a large old house in South West France which we are in the process of modifying to create a Chambre D'Hote and small gites business. There is lots to do around the grounds and one of our main requirements is to repair a long dry stone boundary wall and this ideally requires someone with some passing knowledge on the subject..we don't need an expert by any means! We are also looking to build a small safety wall around the pool from old stones and lime plaster. Otherwise, there is tons of general gardening work and maintenance/cutting back in the small woods and around the fields plus we want some help creating vegetable and herb gardens- the list feels like it's never-ending!
Stephen works in media/film and Emma is a TEFAL English teacher. We are pretty laid back and are generally around to help out/advise, time permitting.
Ideally, we are looking for an independent and dedicated person(s) who can be trusted to work without supervision for around 20 hours a week, according to how you'd like to work them. The area is probably not best suited to midnight ravers or hard-partying types!
Join us for some delicious and nutritious home-cooked meals in our comfortable home! We have 2 rooms potentially available, 1 double and 1 single. In your free time, you can swim in the pool, help out with the horses, feed the cats or enjoy the many attractions surrounding us including the local 'voi vert' accessible from the back of our land. We have bikes you can use to get around.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Travellers can explore this beautiful region, the Vendee, which has so much to offer culturally and a rich history to uncover. The Marais Poitevin canals and marshlands, the forests of Mervent and the Vendee coastal regions are all within 45 minutes and there is a wealth of Chateaux, Abbeys, Museums and other attractions right across the Vendee region. We teach English to French students during the summer so are happy to help with language skills for those whose first language is not English. We are Irish nationals, although British born-and-bred, and we still have strong ties to the UK, so if it's British culture you're interested in we can help with that!!
Help
We are looking for an individual or a couple with some dry stone walling experience to repair a long boundary wall that has fallen into disrepair. Also to help with building a small pool safety wall - again possibly involving dry stone walling. With just over 1.9 hectares of land, we have plenty of gardening/maintenance that needs doing too, in particular tree pruning and weeding. We recently levelled an area within our small woods to use as a riding surface and need help clearing it back further, in order to add a surface to it, and then also fencing parts of it off. Any additional carpentry skills, would be helpful too, as the stable area needs a feed room added to it!. We have two lovely horses and 3 cats, so workawayers can help look after them too if they like!
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
We are working on improving our French so happy to offer some exchanges in English for extra French conversation!
Accommodation
We can offer a comfortable room within the main house. Shared bathroom with a single and/or a double room available. We will provide three meals a day but helpers can help out with cooking if they wish. We eat a gluten-free diet but won't force it on anyone else!
We have room for campervans too.
What else ...
We are ideally situated 45 minutes from La Rochelle and the coast. Nearer to home we have Mervent and it's beautiful lake ideal for all watersports 10 minutes away, the Marais Poitevein - the Venice Vert - 20 minutes away, the fabulous Puy Du Fou amusement park 50 minutes away plus cities such as Poitiers and Nantes, both steeped in history just over an hour away. Good bus network from our nearest town, Fontenay Le Comte (10 mins) which has shops, hypermarkets, restaurants etc and the nearest intercity train station is Niort (30 mins), where you will also find a number of busy bars and restaurants and, depending on when your here, you might be in time for the Jazz festival- we saw Gregory Porter there last year and it was fabulous! The local cycle and walking 'greenway' is at the bottom of our land and connects to paths running for hundreds of miles, following the Vendee River where you can also fish or take a small boat out. We have bicycles available for use.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have a fibre connection and we work from home anyway, so no problem with connections.
Space for parking camper vans
Can accommodate a large van and have an electric hook-up source in the barn.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
