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Come and learn new skills helping out in Vestfold, Norway

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: at least a week

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    In 2017 I decided to leave my old career in the restaurant industry and moved back to the farm I grew up on.
    Here I spend most of my time working in the forest, logging and thinning in the winter and planting cultivating in the summer.
    The summer is also spent maintaining the network of forest roads and building new ones in preparation for upcoming seasons.

    I have a field where I grow a variety of vegetables for own consumption and the late summer and fall some time is spent foraging and canning for the upcoming year.


    The farm is in Hillestad, 50 minutes from Oslo and 15 minutes from Holmestrand, a small city by the Oslofjord.

    We also do commercial grain farming, but that activity does not involve workawayers.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    Farmstay help
    General Maintenance
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    You'll be able to learn forestry and work techniques and skills related to my work.
    My family is fairly active politically ranging from conservative and liberal to pretty far left.
    I'm a trained chef and often cook traditional Norwegian meals.
    If you want to learn or improve your ropes behind a bar I built myself a full bar upstairs where I'll happily share my skills and experience from many years as a bartender.

  • Help

    Help

    The main help is forestry with changing tasks following the seasons, in the spring there's a few weeks of firewood production.
    As a side project I'm working on the renovation of a cabin I have up in the forest, built a new roof in 2018, hope to finish the new floor and interior this year.
    Since it's a old farm there's always some painting and renovations to the buildings that should be done too.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    Norwegian: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    I share my house with my two dogs Trym and Heimdal.
    I have two guest rooms on the second floor, both with a double bed and a guest bathroom upstairs.
    All meals are included in the work exchange and dinners are often eaten with my parents that lives next door.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Hillestad is 15 minutes from the Train station in Sande and Holmestrand with North and Southbound trains every hour, 20 minutes from Drammen and 50 minutes from Oslo.
    It's 15 minutes from the Oslofjord.
    Nature is close by with the forest behind the house and Hillestad lake behind the field in front of the house.

  • 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

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    This host can provide space for campervans.

  • Can possibly accept pets

    Can possibly accept pets

    This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    Two

Host ref number: 124955722173

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Photos

A woman crouches beside a small fire in a snowy forest, wearing an orange jacket and black pants, with snow-covered trees and ground surrounding her.
The image shows a man with a beard and a hat sitting in a vehicle with a dog, both looking at the camera. The man is wearing a blue shirt.
The image depicts a serene landscape featuring a dog, a vast field, a lake, and rolling hills under a blue sky with clouds.
The image depicts two dogs lying on a rug in a room with wooden floors, a chair, and a table, surrounded by toys and other objects.
The image depicts a snowy forest scene with a woman standing near a yellow pole, surrounded by trees, a chainsaw, and a black machine with a yellow sign.
The image depicts a tractor in a snowy forest clearing, surrounded by scattered branches and trees, with a dense evergreen forest in the background.
The image depicts a serene room with three large windows offering a view of a lake, trees, and hills, set against a warm sunset backdrop.
The image shows a group of people posing for a photo, with a dog in the background. The scene appears to be a family gathering or outdoor event. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual.
The image depicts two boys and a dog sitting outside a red wooden building, surrounded by snow and fallen tree branches, in a serene winter landscape.
The image depicts a serene grassy field with trees in the background, featuring a metal gate and a red object in the foreground, possibly a tractor or machinery.
The image depicts a serene landscape featuring a leafless tree, a red barn, a grassy field, and a body of water, set against a clear blue sky.
The image depicts a serene outdoor setting, featuring a wooden chair, a tree with no leaves, a grassy area, a body of water, and a blue sky.

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