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Geforderte Mindest-Aufenthaltsdauer: mindestens 1 Monat
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Beschreibung
We are a project in transition. For over 15 years Dutch national Marleen provided a home to donkeys, horses, and other rescued animals from all across Spain. But Marleen is in her late 70s now and would like to retire. The house and the land are for sale at the moment. We still hope to find buyers who want to continue taking care of abandoned animals, but we don't know what the future will bring. For that reason we prefer not to plan too far ahead.
We have already found wonderful homes for many of our animals, but there are still animals here that need care from Workawayers. Our farm welcomes 3 to 4 volunteers at a time who stay between 1-3 months, as getting to know the animals and routine does take some time. We are currently home for 10 donkeys, a pig and 4 cats. To make it easier to manage days off we prefer single volunteers over couples or friends.
We are looking for volunteers who are interested in animal care, gardening, and/or handiwork. Household chores, cooking for the group, and cleaning are seen as collective tasks and are not primary roles. We are able to provide a group breakfast and dinner, and lunch materials may be purchased from the supermarket individually or in groups. Housing is on-site and includes caravans (spring/summer only) and rooms in the house. Our property is 8 hectares made up of the main house, stables, cabin/cabaña, apple orchards, forests and meadow.
We are looking to host those looking to continue giving our animals and farm a better life. We cannot accommodate those traveling with their own pets. Please note our farm is vegetarian (semi-vegan) and smoke-free. We do not have Wi-Fi, though 4G/LTE phone coverage is adequate if needed. It may be good to know that this is not the best place to learn Spanish. We have an international group of volunteers and the main language spoken is English.
IMPORTANT NOTE: While we are cleaning stables, preparing meals, and caring for our animals, it is possible your message may not receive a reply in as timely a manner as you would like. All messages sent from our account are final. For example, if we confirm your stay it means you’re confirmed, even if we aren’t able to reply for a few weeks.Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten
Gartenarbeiten
Heimwerker- und Bauarbeiten
Betreuung von Tieren
Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof
Zubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die Familie
Hausarbeiten
Handwerkliche Arbeiten
Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten
Volunteers will learn about animal care, gardening, and vegetarian/vegan cooking. You will be living, working and interacting with individuals from several countries, and cultural exchange is natural.
Arbeit
It is important to note that our working hours are different than some volunteering sites, as caring for animals and maintaining a sanctuary can end in varied and long days. A typical day may run from 0745h-1200h and again 1600h-2000h. You should expect to stay busy with different aspects of animal care, gardening, or farm maintenance. A brief breakdown of what each role may encounter is below - the list is not exhaustive and there are many other tasks that may be needed.
Animal Care: Stable cleaning, hoof cleaning, enrichment, special medical attention.
Gardening: Watering, weeding, path maintenance, planting, harvesting.
Maintenance: Fence repair, household tasks, yardwork, general farm upkeep.Gesprochene Sprachen
Englisch: Fließend
Spanisch: Fließend
Niederländisch: FließendUnterkunft
Single or shared bedrooms in the main house, single caravans (spring/summer only), and a shared cabin/cabaña (spring/summer only).
Was noch ...
We speak Dutch, English and Spanish. Due to the wide range of countries volunteers arrive from, English is the designated working language and a conversational level is required. We always appreciate volunteers who are able to speak the local Spanish language.
Asturias is in the north of Spain and bordered by Cantabria, Castilla y León and Galicia. It is situated in vast green mountains and nicknamed the Costa Verde. The area is perfect for outdoor activites such as hiking, kayaking, mountain climbing, and more - many of which can be done right in Arriondas. We are located 19km from the beach town of Ribadesella, and 16km from the spectacular Picos de Europa mountains. Volunteers must enjoy outdoor life, as we are located 3km away from the nearest village.
Getting here:
• Bus (ALSA): There are daily connections to Arriondas through Oviedo (68km / 1hr), Santander (130km / 2hr) and Bilbao (220km / 4hr). The most popular and suggested route is through Oviedo. Bus tickets can be purchased on their website or directly on the bus at the time of departure.
• Plane: If you are flying into Spain or Asturias, the closest airports are Oviedo (OVD) or Bilbao (BIO).
• BlaBlaCar: A popular option among volunteers, there are typically connections to Arriondas specifically from Bilbao or Llanes.
• If you have any issues with transportation, please contact us!
This WorkAway is managed by Steve on behalf of Marleen.Etwas mehr Information
Internet Zugang
Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang
Wir besitzen Tiere
Wir sind Raucher
Familien möglich
Platz zum Abstellen von Camper Vans
We can accomodate a campervan / caravan with advance notice.
Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal
mehr als zwei
Arbeitszeiten
Average 5h/day, 5d/wk
Feedback (64)
And last but not least, the landscapes around the place are also wonderful !
Feedback
Dies sind zusätzliche optionale Bewertungen, wenn Mitglieder Feedback hinterlassen. Es wird die im Schnitt hinterlassene Bewertung für jede Option angezeigt.
Korrekte Angaben im Profil:
(4.7)
Kultureller Austausch:
(4.6)
Kommunikation:
(4.8)
And last but not least, the landscapes around the place are also wonderful !
When I arrived I felt nervous but in a couple days it already felt like home.
The sanctuary is absolutely beautiful, surrounded by mountains and nature, so peaceful. There's delicious meals every day, you get enough siesta time, sometimes late cabaña parties hehehe but above all this, the people and the animals… read more
Marleen is a lovely person and she really cares for all the animals and the volunteers.
I… read more
The location is genuinely surreal. It’s a peaceful little world within itself - it feels like a fantasy world - like living in a movie! And the sanctuary itself is great! The food is always delicious (you’ll learn… read more
There's so… read more
Marleen is a very strong woman, so kind and caring, and she will make sure that you are feeling great in… read more
I learned a lot of things in this month. Like cleaning hoofs of those donkeys... I enjoyed every moment staying and living there. Surrounded by the nature, staying far from the city. I fall in love with… read more
The work here follows roughly the same routine… read more
No solo paraíso para burros si no también para personas! :)
Un verdadero placer!
I knew nothing about donkeys before I arrived, but caught on pretty quickly, as I accompanied another volunteer… read more
Thanks to Marleen, lovely and strong woman.
And thanks to all donkeys, my Lady, all others animals and all volunteers for gave me such a beautiful experience.
I really recommend " El paraìso del burro"… read more
There are always a lot of other volunteers from different countries, so you won't be alone there and you're normally eating all meals together, so you're getting to know them really fast.
I really loved the group events, that… read more
The place… read more
The work is always enjoyable and rewarding, you definitely get more out of your stay the… read more
how did you make me feel important in this place and learn so much about
animals, generous people and live ¡. I am full of memories of excellent
moments with the donkeys, the two horses, the sad loss of Baltasar (the old
donkey).... I have learned
a lot about so many… read more
to hard and there’s enough opportunity to learn some… read more
Marleen, the host, is such a good person with such a caring and loving heart. One of the volunteers deservedly said: 'You can write a book about her'. She is an example of a good human being who is making the world,… read more
The way how Marleen take care of animals is an amazing. It's unique.
Area is magic, you can feel the power from the nature everyday. How beautiful… read more
The job is (a little bit) hard but fulfilling and interesting. Days are long but time flies... You might stay for months like some volunteers, inspired by Marleen's generosity and kindness.
You'll learn about donkey care and dog training for… read more
This initial workaway experience has left footprints in my heart with memories I will treasure forever!
Five weeks late I… read more
I think the best feedback for the workaway is whether people who come stay longer than they intended or shorter and if they keep coming back later. Here almost everybody who didn't have something arranged already stayed longer than planned and often came… read more
It will be long days and whenever you choose your project to be physical it is likely you will be needing your siesta in the afternoon.
Our days where as following:
7:15 Getting up, and be amazed by the ever chancing views.
7:45 Donkey feeding (until 8:45) and dogwalking+feeding
9:00 your breakfast (usually… read more
Marleen, the hardest working lady we know, took excellent care of the volunteers. She treated everyone as equals and made every effort to keep us comfortable and well fed. Like a true grandma she would offer packed lunches on days off, made incredible breakfasts… read more
The surrounding nature gives you an astonishing panorama everyday and I loved to be outside working physically and being provided very healthy food.
Sometimes, we were quite a large group of… read more
The two and a half months I spent there were the most special experience I've ever had, as you are constantly involved with the donkeys and volunteers with so much love. It really is a peaceful and harmonious place.
Yes, the days are… read more
The days are long, but there are a lot of breaks for food as well as siesta… read more
Thank you… read more
For me it was my first workaway experience and it was incredible! I am happy that i have decided to contac Marleen. I really enjoyed my time with her, the other volunters and all the animals. I have dreamed about doing this kind of adventure for a long time and Marleen helped me to… read more
Above all I've discovered the amazing animals called donkeys... It was my first experience with them... they are incredibly smart and give you… read more
The work varies from… read more
Every morning, Marleen made delicious porridge for everybody (and Alfredo) that me and my stomach truly miss... she has got so many lovely… read more
The place is beautiful and everyday I was really glad that I had opportunity to be there. Work with such nice animals, Marleen and other volunteers was a pleasure. It was the best summertime in my life!
Marleen is incredibly good person and she will make your stay so amazing that you will never want… read more
Marleen is a kind, positive person and a pleasure to work for. The accommodation is comfortable and the food was more than you could hope for. Three full meals a day including the best porridge I have ever had! The work… read more
The extremely generous, flexible and helpful host, Marleen is one of the nicest person I have ever met with full of positive energy. She treated us (you won’t be the only one volunteer for sure) very very well and really made us feel at home, e.g. with the wonderful meals she cooked… read more