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We are Robert and Tanja, originally from Holland but after 20 years living and working in Africa and Southeast Asia, we feel rather cosmopolitan. Tanja works in International Development; Robert is a guide to Birdwatchers. In 2004 we bought a Finca (farm) in Arens de Lledo, in the beautiful Matarraña region of Spain. Ever since, we have been slowly developing the property as an eco-friendly homestead and permaculture project. There are many tasks to do as the property is by now 37 hectares of pine forest, old terraces, riverbank and fields where we want to practice straw bale gardening and Huegel culture. We need help in building raised beds, fences, gardening, building stables and a lot of other small projects such as a climbing wall and a zip line! A lot of the work consists of animal care. We now have 16 goats, 4 Guinea fowl, 7 chickens and 8 Indian Runner ducks, Campero our beautiful black horse and Bram our little Shetland pony and of course Bayley our rescue dog, all need love and attention.
What happened in 2023.
After the family holiday, Tanja was remaining in Tunis, Robert was back in Arens on January 2nd, and finca management had to restart again. This year with the help of 29 new Workaway volunteers, some family, friends and even volunteers who returned to the finca. Jessica and Wil had taken charge of the holiday period and will be sorely missed by the goats. Quite a big area near the river is now cleared of Brambles, caña (giant reed) and shrubs as Jessica made them graze a lot over there. Just two days later, Fer and Tineke arrived for a week. More hands mean easier work. Not having to muck the horse meadow every day is a relief. And good discussions later each day.
When they left Siloë and Eloïse arrived from Belgium on the start of a gap year of travel and adventure. Then Rodrigo from Brazil and a French couple Margot and William took over chores. A few days of solitude before Nell arrived, her stay overlapped with Laura. And Tanja finished working in Libya/Tunesia.
And then the Vikings arrived, excuse me, the Danish. Lasse, Nikolai and Harald met as firemen during a year of civil service. They could be set to do hard physical work, transporting stone and soil, digging trenches and holes to make a fence around a new meadow. Some of the stones they moved are still on the spot where they left them, too heavy for me to move. Therefor, waiting for more Norsemen.
This year we also had some people that did not come after initially being very positive. Luckily, they all communicated early enough. Once I have been waiting in vain at a busstop, not very nice, but not this year. One Swiss girl could not come, but a compatriot, Jennifer did arrive for just over 4 weeks. On that same day Dorottya and Ivett from Hungary also took the same bus from Barcelona in a well coordinated action to minimise our travel. Great. The last volunteer to arrive before the summer break was Meaghan, who travelled all the way from the United States.
During the summer, without volunteers for a while, it was not exactly quiet. Our boys came over, with six friends. They were on a holiday so had a look at the finca, but mainly enjoyed the swimming, wine sampling, eating and sun in the area. For one day we had Loraine over at the finca. She was collecting impressions and information for a thesis on Food Forests.
In August we had another friend over, Ruth from the UK. To be more accurate; Tanja met her in Laos. A short week of memory recollections. After that, Ayame flew in from Japan.
In early September we had a meeting with old Kenya hands in Porto. Jasper and one of the friends from July came over to manage the finca. Thanks for that, Lisa, you´re a volunteer now. Also in September we had two more couples of friends coming over for a stay: Yvette and Paddy from Geneva and our ´the Hague walking group´ friends Arjan and Maurits. We did a few good walks close by in Els Ports.
Then it was time again for the regular Workaway crowd. Lena arrived from Belgium, also at the start of a gap year. While she was here Chiara and Lena from Italy stayed with us also, and to completely fill the house we also had Mia and Johanna here. All the ladies teamed up against Robert when playing Monopoly Deal, the quicker card game version of the capitalist real estate board game.
By then it became a close race to decide who would be the one-hundredth volunteer ever at the Finca. Eline from the Netherlands was the 99th and then Louise from Luxemburg had to postpone her arrival for some time, she became 101st while Marit from the Netherlands took 100th.
Fer and Tineke were here again for a few days, Pauline and Hugo from France were the last volunteers this busy 2023 year. Sander and Jasper again contributed over the Christmas period working on the roof, the Terp (a combination of flood refuge and stable), the newly planted trees and animal care.
All these volunteers together did many things. The routine of tasks having to keep the animals happy are twofold: tedious and fun. Keeping the herd of goats together while grazing is fun, except when they suddenly decide to go all into different directions. Horses are fine to ride, to groom and to just look at but they produce manure. Tomatoes are tasty, however they need water, just a chickens do. But then, the eggs are delicious.
Then there were a few bigger projects happening. In autumn we cleared the route for a new track up the hill. Some 40 trees needed to be felled, cut into pieces, and wood and branches needed to be shredded. A lot of pulling, lifting and transport to be done. The two areas where we want to have water basins were relatively free of vegetation, so needed little work. Over three sessions the guy with the Big Yellow Machine created the new track, dug out the two balsas (water storages, a.k.a. swimming pools? ) and sorted out some bottlenecks on the old track up to the house on the top. Over there some earth moving was done in preparation of future plans. Along the track we planted 250+ trees and shrubs. For the moment very spindly stalks, but they will line the track, cast shadows, produce hazelnuts, fruits and stabilize the soil.
With an ever-increasing herd of goats, we really needed an extra meadow. But goats actually require fortresses or prisons more. The disciples of Houdini find any opportunity to escape. Alcatraz, in their expert escape artist´s view is “Al c z”. Some serious fence building had to happen. That took a while and we still are not sure if we have been successful. Added to that, once they are in, they need water otherwise they will decide to go looking elsewhere. We knew there was a well on the new finca, but not exactly where. A casual meeting with a previous owner pointed us in the right direction. We found a 35-meter-deep borehole, with an artesian character. Problem solved.
By the way, the goat herd has become even more of a unit since the arrival of Valentino (yes, born on Valentine´s Day) on the birthday of the Dutch King. Initially, all other goats kicked and pushed him, and the poor sod has no horns to mete out his reciprocal judgment. So, he needed time to grow into the position. By now he is the biggest of the herd and as a buck the fully intact female goats appreciate what he can do for them.
Thanks to all the volunteers (from 30 different countries and even more backgrounds) that contributed this year and previous years.
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2022
The start of 2022 was still marked by COVID, although it became clear that restrictions were on their way out and at least in our area people were enjoying going out to restaurants and having a drink on the terrace once more. We had 19 volunteers, the majority German, Dutch and American. Our first workawayer of the year did not come via workaway but through our friends from Boodaville. Betsy Reed from Wyoming is not your typical workawayer; she is a leadership mentor, sustainability and resilience expert as well as a yoga teacher. She said she needed a break from her high paced job but was still working online every afternoon;) Anyway she worked very hard preparing the construction and renovation site on the hill on the new Finca.
In February we received Talea and Leo from Germany. They were the first workawayers we had a zoom interview with ;) They did a lot of work in building a new stable and clearing one of the almond orchards that had been neglected for more than 12 years. Of course, February was marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and at that time we did not know what a horrible and extended war it would become. In April/May we hosted Julia, again from Germany, and this was her first workaway experience. She enjoyed goat herding, milking, cheese making and especially winning a lot of Monopoly Deal games! We also had our friends Fer and Tineke over at the same time.
In June we received Natalia from Poland who was aiming to be a professional Go player! This game was a bit too complicated for us and she beat us at Monopoly as well. Great with the animals, using eggs to bake cakes, milking the goats and caring for the horses were all expertly done and she even mentored the next workawayers, Nina and Derek, separate arrivals from the USA. They got along great and enjoyed goat cheese making, (we now made Mozzarella and Kefir as well). We also did a lot of trips to the beautiful villages in the area, Horta de Sant Joan, Miravet, Valderrobres, Tortosa and the Ebro Delta for birdwatching of course. We all enjoyed hiking in Els Ports, climbing Santa Barbara and the Roques de Benets.
In July, Tanja heard that she had a new job as Gender advisor for EUBAM Libya, one of the EU civilian border assistance missions. She did a similar job in Niger in 2019 so it was not necessary to go on pre-deployment training in Brussels but there was a lot of preparing to do in terms of medical check-ups and briefings with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This meant that Tanja only met our 69th and 70th workawayers, Thomas and Mathilde, from France, for three days. They had their own transport so were able to enjoy some of the cities nearby like Taragona. During this time, there was a severe thunderstorm with 70mm of rain, which was badly needed because the summer had been very hot and dry. During the festive weeks in the region, we had Hector over from the States. He helped as well but was out of action for a couple of days because he was hit by a car while cycling back on one of our e-bikes. The car did not stop, probably the driver had sampled the alcoholic drinks at the fiesta.
We also had Riccardo, an Italian workawayer who arrived with his bike and made us some excellent Italian dishes. In the fall we received Wil from the Netherlands, he enjoyed it so much that he came back twice (once to facilitate Robert to go to Tunisia for over two weeks). Jasmin from Germany arrived, more good baking. And she was good with the goats and horses as well. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a curse on our e-bikes, as she also made a bad fall. It was an one-sided accident. People from the village helped her get up again. For days, many of them asked how the patient was doing. The benefits of a small community. I took her to the Alcañiz hospital to be x-rayed. After that we could tell the villagers that nothing was broken, just badly strained. By the time she left, the accident was nothing more than a bad memory and a good lesson. During the last months of the year our Dutch friend Jessica helped again, taking care of the animals. She even got milk production started again, so in the morning she has goat milk to drink.
That was also the time that we had to start working on the roof of the little casita on the finca. Removing the roof was dirty work, putting a new one in was hard and wet work. We had hardly removed one half of it when, in just two days, 200 mm of rain fell. That meant 20 buckets per square meter, and a lot dripped into the house. The quality of tarpaulins was not that good. Then Claudia and Felix arrived from Germany in their camper. With their help we made good progress. When Wil came back we covered it with tiles, far enough so that the rain will not enter the house any more. It is drying out inside now.
These are the volunteers, we really want to thank them a lot, in chronological order: Betsy US, Talea and Leo GER, Julia GER, Fer and Tineke NL, Natalia POL, Magdalena GER, Derek USA, Nina USA, Riccardo ITA, Thomas and Mathilde FRA, Hector USA, Wil NL, Jassi GER, Claudia and Felix GER and Jessica NL. All the cloggies came around for the second and third time. Bravissimo.
Robert and TanjaTypes d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre
Aide avec des éco-projetsJardinageBricolage et constructionS’occuper des animauxAide dans une fermeObjectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre
Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre
We have had workawayers from many different countries which provides for cultural exchange, you can learn about birdwatching, enjoy the historical villages of Horta de Sant Joan (Picasso), Gandesa, Valderrobles, Cretas visit the archeological sites nearby, but also have practical experience of building, ecological gardening and animal care.
Aide
We would like to get help in the mornings. We want help reconstructing a ruin of a house, and develop several acres of terraces for e.g. horse meadows, strawbale gardening and fruiting trees.
Langues parlées
Anglais: Courant
Français: Courant
Hollandais: Courant
Allemand: Intermédiaire
Espagnol: IntermédiaireHébergement
The accommodation will be in a comfortable double room in our village house or a bit more basic and off grid in the Maset on the Finca, you can also camp out in your own tent, or in your camper. If you only require one hectare, we can still have 20 + campers ;.)
Autres infos...
As to staying with us, we work on a first come, first served basis and assume that, once you have said that you will come, you will actually show up as well. Depending on your mode of transport (car, public, bus or plane (best via Barcelona)) we have to set up an appointment on where to meet. The village doesn´t have public transport, but we can collect you from Tortosa, Horta de San Juan, Gandesa, Alcañiz or Calaceite. Tortosa also has a train station, the other towns can only be reached by bus. And you will have to be brought back there as well. From this you might also conclude that we ask people to stay for at least a week, preferably two, otherwise it simply does not work for all involved.
You will be lodged in your own room in the house in the village. Every morning we need to go to the finca, which takes just 10 minutes. We expect that you join us at least 5 times per week. After a couple of hours work, we normally have lunch back at the house. If you like to cook lunch or dinner, be our guest. The afternoons are at your disposal.
Free time and weekends can be spent exploring the Els Ports mountains, the Ebro Delta, the coast and many of the nearby villages like Horta de San Joan or Valderrobres.Informations complémentaires
Accès Internet
Accès Internet limité
Nous avons des animaux
Nous sommes fumeurs
Familles bienvenues
Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads
We have wifi in the house and several places where people can work. Not a real office space, but some quiet can be arranged.
Espace pour garer des vans
The finca (farm-part) is available, but that doesn't have internet. Nearest place to empty septic liquids is some 30 km away. Toilet and hot shower, however, on the finca.
Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux
Dogs, but with some restrictions.
Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?
Plus de 2
Nombre d'heures attendues
We go to the finca every day, work in the mornings, feel free to take a day off.
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In the afternoons I really… read more
Tanja and Robert are very interesting, warm welcoming positive people and easy going with lots of interesting stories and projects.
For me it was a wonderful experience, living in a small Spanish village with beautiful surrounding. I really enjoyed helping them with their animals on the finca and spending time their with the… read more
Definitely, it was one of the most exciting two weeks in our life. We had a lot of "first time". It was our first workaway experience, first Spain travel, first traditional spanish foods and it was the first time we meet and made friends with a lovely and kind… read more
My stay coincided with Ivett's and Dori's at the beginning and then with Meaghan's. They showed us around… read more
My group of three people stayed with Robert, Tanja and Bailey (the very bestest dog in Spain) for about three weeks in April. The work we did for them was simple, but rewarding; we mainly helped putting up some fences for the goats and the horses, fed the… read more
You will meet a bunch of people who are friends with Tanja and Robert and are also living near the village, all of them are super nice and will welcome… read more
c'était un réel plaisir de passer 15 jours en compagnie de Robert, il est une source de savoir et c'est vraiment passionnant de l'écouter raconter son vécu et ses histoires. nous avons également appris à regarder les oiseaux. même les… read more
We enjoyed feeding the animals, walking the goats on the finca and having nice chats with Robert about Kenya, the Netherlands, birds and all kind of… read more
Robert's knowledge about the region, nature… read more
From July 5 to 19, 2022 we had our first experience as a workawayer at Robert and Tanya. What can I say other than it was perfect! When we got there, it was Riccardo (another Italian workawayer) who welcomed us since Robert was taking Tanya to the airport. Thank you, Ricardo! (Hoping you will see this message) You reassured us, helped… read more
Each day had a different rhythm to it with an around 3 hour visit to the Finca each morning. The Finca is beautiful and lively. Our main task was caring for the animals: goats, chickens, ducks, Guineafowl and horses. The animals are a healthy and happy bunch. I also helped… read more
On my first day Tanja said that I was a part of the family and that’s how I felt throughout my whole one month stay. They are both very generous and accommodating hosts, always ready to talk (they seem to never run out of interesting stories to share), joke or play games (provided you… read more
The work on the finca (farm) involves repetitive tasks; feeding animals, removing the… read more
Are you hesitating to join Tanja's and Robert's finca yet ? Don't wait anymore, it's a good opportunity for you to discover a little piece of Nederlands completely lost in the middle of Spanish mountains. During this month, I learnt and discovered more than expected. Those two globe-trotters have both amazing lives and they are… read more
Tanja & Robert was both of them really careful, always giving us what we need before we have to ask for it. They have a lot experiences, knowledge,… read more
Arens is a small but sweet and warm village. You can say "HOLA" to everyone in this village! It's quite easy to make friends here(especially with BEER). And if you want to get rid of those busy in an urban city, you must come to Arens !!
What's… read more
Luisa fitted in very… read more
I felt well hosted and able to do my share as a workawayer. The accomodation in the house was very good, the work on the finca divers. During my stay we plastered straw bale walls,… read more
I… read more
I had to be on the airport anyhow, so I collected both guys from Terminal 2. The weather was not that good, but we made it to Arens de Lledo in good time. There were already two workawayers who had taken care of the house, the Finca (farm) and the dog for a couple of days. There was a good click between all.
Working on the… read more
When a couple comes to your project, it always passes your mind on how they will interact with other people. These two are open and focussed on the tasks ahead. After a couple of days as a host, I had other commitments for four days. Monica and Fernando not only took care of the house in the village, but also of our dog and… read more
Our schedlule was giving help around the finca ; watering the plants, cleaning up but also relaxing, visiting the mountain and the area and swimming.… read more