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Last replied
6 Feb 2024
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Description
Our house is in the heart of wine growing country in the Gers in South West France. We own a spacious Maison de Maitre with a large four acre garden which is surrounded by vineyards, hills and woodland. The house has attached stables and includes a self contained two bed gite. Both the house and gite are mostly renovated and we run a small chambres d’hôte and let the gite to holiday makers. We also have a swimming pool . We are a lively English family with three grown up sons and two dogs. Although we also work in England we spend most of our year in the Gers. We are non-smokers and love good food and wine! Claire works as a teacher and as a counsellor. Martin is a retired TV documentary producer/director.
Types of help and learning opportunities
GardeningDIY and building projectsHelp around the houseGeneral MaintenanceHelp with Computers/ InternetHelp
We are looking for hardworking, lively, friendly and easy-going workaways to join us for short periods during late March and April; last two weeks of June/early July.
We would like help with DIY. We also want to finish creating a vegetable garden in raised beds, reinstate a small pond and manage a small orchard. We will also possibly need help with the painting in the house and gite; and there will be other odd jobs around the house. We like to start at around ten and work for five hours a day with a break for lunch, but we are very flexible and happy to arrange working hours to suit.Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: IntermediateAccommodation
You will have your own room and probably your own bathroom. All meals will be provided: Claire loves to cook mainly French, Italian and Middle Eastern food, with the odd curry thrown in! We only eat welfare free-range friendly meat.
What else ...
We are a fifteen-minute walk from the village of Viella which, although small, has a swimming pool, tennis court and a café/bar. Eight kilometres away is the larger village of Riscle from where you can catch a bus to surrounding towns like Mont de Marsan, Nogaro, Marciac, Eauze, Madiran and Plaisance. In the summer all the local towns and villages have “fetes”, local festivals which are very lively!
For three weeks at the end of July and early August Marciac hosts a world renowned jazz festival, which is not to be missed. Further afield the major cities of Bordeaux and Toulouse are two hours away, while the university town of Pau is just under an hour away. The Atlantic Ocean beaches, the towns of Biarritz and St Jean de Luz, the Pyrenees and Spain are also easily accessible. We will provide some lifts to local places of interest, and there are bikes which you are welcome to borrow.A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week