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Experience family life, nature and cultural exchange in Upper Franconia, Germany

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: No minimum

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Hello Workawayer/s

    Update: We're looking for help. The work is mostly outside helping with the garden, woodland and veg garden.

    Greetings from family Mitchell: Peter, Silka, Leonard 23, Edgar 20 and Erik 13, Django 3.5 (dog), Thompson & Thomson 3.5 & 3.5 (cats), 14 chickens and a family of kestrels returning to nest each year. After years of living in East London ensconced in the rat-race, we decided the time was right for a complete change of lifestyle. So here we are living in a remote farming village by the wild woods of Upper Franconia in northern Bavaria. A decision also prompted by the arrival of a new member of the family in Nov 2011. Erik was born in London but won’t remember much as he was only there for 40 days!

    The reason we decided to become a Workaway Host was because we missed the diverse cultural exchange that we enjoyed while living and working in east London. We've now been a host for about 12 years and received over 80 volunteers from all over the world and the benefit and positive impact it's had on our family has been immense! During that time we've shared hundreds of meals together as a family with a huge range of people of different ethnicities and ages and from very varied cultural backgrounds! Both us and our children have made long term friendships with Workaway volunteers who have stayed and our eldest son recently travelled together in Australia with a Workawayer who volunteered here couple of years ago! Our 13 year old son has grown up with Workaway, so sharing meals, conversations and experiences with a diverse range of visitors is fairly normal to him, which I think is really healthy and has had a very positive impact on his upbringing!

    The place where we live includes 3 acres of garden and woods with five buildings in various states of condition. We're looking for help with the garden, woods and veg garden. The area has a big scale about it, large wild forests, rolling hills and ruggedly beautiful landscape. Weissenbach is a small active farming village (approx 35 houses) situated at the end of the road, so there's no through traffic. The area beyond is forest and fields, other than Mutadaya, the Buddhist Monastery, which is about a 30-minute walk through the woods. The nearest shops/restaurant/bar are in Wirsberg, 3km down the hill and there's a train station in Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg which is 8 km from our house.

    We're an open minded, well travelled family who love to work hard, eat well and have fun and we would like to offer volunteers the same in a beautiful place with good air and wonderful bird song.

    We have bicycles to lend for fantastic on and off-road cycling, including a lovely cycle path to the historic town of Kulmbach, famous for beer making and the Plassenberg Castle with the largest lead soldier collection in the world! We're surrounded by wonderful woodland walks and there's a great outdoor swimming pool and water slide nestled in the tree lined valley about a 15 minute bike ride from our place.

    This is a great place for anyone who wants to hear themselves think or get in touch with nature! The air is wonderful, the area is charming and I'd like to think we are a positive and fun bunch to work with.

    ps. we love music, food, games and laughter!
    pps. If you're interested in learning more send a message and ask for our website address.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Art Projects
    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Babysitting and creative play
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • Interests

    Interests

    Pets
    Movies & TV
    Culture
    Carpentry
    Drawing & painting
    Photography
    Plant care
    Music
    Cooking & food
    Gardening
    DIY & crafts
    Books
    Art & design
    Architecture
    Animals
    Winter sports
    Yoga / Wellness
    Team sports
    Nature
    Fitness
    Camping
    Water sports
    Outdoor activities
    Hiking
    Cycling
    Adventure sports
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Anyone interested in design and art can benefit from our experience of over 25 years working in this field. They can be part of the journey of developing a project aimed to benefit the local community and attract tourism to an area once well populated by visitors. We speak both German and English in the home and have travelled, lived and worked in a number of other continents.

  • Projects involving children

    Projects involving children

    This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

  • Help

    Help

    Tending woodland path and managing small woodland.
    Preparing firewood for winter.
    Caring for the vegetable, fruit garden and chickens.
    Help around the house.

  • Languages spoken

    German: Fluent
    English: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Two double bedrooms in little cottage.
    One double bedroom above Studio.
    Two ‘Hay hotels‘ in main barn which sleep 3-4 people each.
    Wide range of other tents and camping equipment
    Use of own kitchen, bathroom and toilets

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    The local area is full of beautiful, unspoilt walks through sweeping valleys and huge pine forests. There is also a very small Thai buddhist monastery nestled within the woods, approximately 25 mins walk from our home, which offers daily group meditation sessions.

    Kulmbach is our nearest town, a one hour cycle away with a picturesque historic castle, beer museum and cobbled back streets. Bayreuth, famous for the Wagner Festival is a 15 minute train ride and worth a visit for shopping, the Wagner museum, Ermitage park etc. Bamberg, Kronach and Coburg are some of the other notable historic towns in the region and all within a 1.5 hour range of our home.

  • 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

    We gladly host digital nomads and generally our internet connection is good. We run our design business from here and rely on the internet. Mobile phone connection is not good, which is another reason we rely on the internet!

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We have a three space car car which would be ideal for camper vans. There's other options here too as we have a very large garden (approx 3 acres)

  • Can possibly accept pets

    Can possibly accept pets

    Pets should be no problem. We have quite a few already!

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

Host ref number: 622364641716

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Photos

The image depicts a serene backyard scene with a large tree, hammocks, a dog, and a house, evoking a sense of relaxation and tranquility.
The image depicts a spacious barn with a high ceiling, featuring a colorful patchwork fabric tent, a brown leather couch, and a tan armchair, surrounded by wooden walls and a concrete floor.
The image depicts a serene scene of a house with a gate, surrounded by lush greenery and trees, set against a bright and sunny day.
The image depicts a serene scene of a house with a large yard, featuring a tree and a fence, set against a backdrop of a clear sky and a body of water in the distance.
The image depicts a serene pond scene with a yellow bust of a person\'s head and shoulders partially submerged in the water, surrounded by lush greenery.
The image depicts a neatly stacked woodpile, comprising logs of various sizes, situated in front of a rustic building with a tiled roof and a grassy area in the foreground.
The image depicts a serene scene of a wooden bench with a statue of a man sitting on it, overlooking a field of wheat and wildflowers under an overcast sky.
The image depicts a man and woman posing with a large sculpture of a person sitting on a wooden chair, in a studio setting with natural light coming through the windows.
Three individuals are constructing a large fire pit, with a substantial fire burning in the center. The scene is set against a backdrop of a grassy field. The fire is surrounded by a wooden fence.
The image shows a group of people playing table tennis on a table, with a net and balls visible, set against a neutral background. The scene is likely intended for recreational or competitive purposes.
The image depicts the interior of a barn under construction, featuring exposed wooden beams and a partially completed roof, with natural light pouring in through the open structure.
The image depicts a serene landscape featuring a dirt path winding through a grassy field, set against a backdrop of rolling hills and trees.
The image depicts a group of chickens behind a chicken wire fence, with a metal pole in the foreground and a lush green background.
The image depicts a woman operating a yellow excavator in a grassy area, surrounded by trees and dirt piles, with a pile of wood in the background.

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