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A lovely creative space near Polski Trambesh, near to Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

  • Favourited 272 times
  • Last activity: 25 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 1 month

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    This is a beautiful house far from the strains of civilisation. I came here when I was struggling to make enough money to live in the UK. From 2015 - 2019 I stayed in the house working online as a freelancer (so yes, there is very good WiFi) made paintings, played music and learned to speak Bulgarian. My friend had bought the house when planning to emigrate but got trapped in the UK so I went out there and took his place.

    Our current custodian Tom has had to move on due to a family emergency, and we are looking for friendly folks to care for and look after this Bulgarian house. We can offer free rent in exchange for bills and upkeep of the property. We are happy to discuss ideas for updating the property also and are particularly keen to hear from artists and musicians as would be keen to develop it into an art project space.

    It is a beautiful house in a village in Bulgaria, where I lived using bicycle, buses and trains as my only transport. Yes that includes trips back to the UK! While I was living here, collaborating with Workawayers we turned the house into an all seasons retreat, so the space is ready to house anyone who would benefit from a quiet reflective space. It offers people with low income the opportunity to escape the strains of everyday life to focus on creative and practical projects. So I'm particularly interested in Workawayers who are looking for a longer term stay where they can really get stuck in to developing the house and calling it home.

    The garden has good soil and makes use of compost, so it's quite unstoppable. There are detailed instructions about keeping the space watered and weeded. It's easy to set up nice veg patches in the spring and there are lots of natural marrows and pumpkins in the autumn! A very committed Workawayer built a sheltered roof section in 2018 because I wanted to turn the barns into the main creative studio zone. This project is still possible so if someone likes the sound of continuing with this and turning it into proper art studios, great!

    I want other people to call this place home, enjoy the garden and feel free to make additions and adjustments, this home is an ongoing project and is comfortable for anyone who wants to escape city life and work online. All work at the house is voluntary and visitors are free to do as much or as little as they like.

    In the village I created a community public art project with the locals: Karantsi Brick Project.

    My UK based community Interest project became surprisingly popular so I passed the baton to Tom, who ran his fire eating business in the space from 2020 - 2024.

    I adopted some stray animals over the years, three dogs and a cat became my companions, it was idyllic! Tom looked after them following my departure and even found them all new homes, so if you have animals there won't be any territorial disputes.

    It's even perfect for the snowy season if you're looking for a quiet and special place to sit out the winter. I have installed a full wood burner central heating system, a nice showering room and enough space to fit up to 5 people... There are three very comfortable bedrooms for people to live in. It is a great place to enjoy the isolation, but there are English speaking neighbours nearby who will hand you the keys. This space is adaptable to whatever dynamic makes people feel comfortable.

    There are good bikes at the house too so cycling to Polski Trambesh and back will is a good habit to get into.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Charity Work
    Art Projects
    Language practice
    Help with Eco Projects
    Teaching
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    I know some good Bulgarian teachers in Veliko Tarnavo. The villagers are friendly so I believe language skills will increase the comfort of your experience.

  • Help

    Help

    The space is wonderful for people to enjoy being away from the city, working or making art in a beautiful quiet place, so please put the giant garden (which has periodically become overgrown throughout my time here) to some practical use. The house and garden is looked after by those who live here to help the place to grow with them. Tom did some amazing electrical and and building work since 2020. There are barns where you can build art studios if you're someone with experience and would like a project!

  • Languages spoken

    Bulgarian: Fluent
    English: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    This is a two bedroom house with a kitchen and a garage and many other rooms ready to be made useful.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    There are many ancient sites, waterfalls and monasteries within cycling distance. In the greenest country you can imagine! The house is in cycling distance from Polski Trambesh, where there is a train and bus station and a huge market every Wednesday. I survived here for four years without a car, taking the hour and a half walk to and from the town while simultaneously taking audio Bulgarian lessons. It's a lot easier with a car!

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    The WiFi connection worked fine throughout my stay from 2015 - 2019. When Tom came he set up a far better and cheaper system. It used to cost me 40 lv per month (20,45 Euro, £17.50) so it's cheaper than that and I'll give you all the login information when you agree to stay.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    There's a big garage, any size of van should be fine but the roads in the village aren't great.

  • Can possibly accept pets

    Can possibly accept pets

    Definitely. There are amazing walks all around the village and a very good vet in Polski Trambesh.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    It's up to you!

Host ref number: 122614712894

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