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7 Jan 2025
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Description
We are now looking for long-term Workawayers to house and cat sit and to help in the garden.
Ideally a couple as you will be spending time alone at the property; responsible, independent, mature outlook, tidy and respectful. No smokers please. Good English essential and some Spanish useful.
Some of the jobs you might be asked to help with are: fruit picking and preserving, cutting trees, stacking wood, weeding, planting and watering, looking after both houses (and two very affectionate cats) and three happy chickens while we are away.
We would expect a maximum of 15 hours help a week, and would prefer a minimum of two months stay to allow us to get to know each other. We love to engage with our helpers and expect you to be flexible and use your initiative. It is important that you are responsible, clean and tidy.
You will have your own separate accommodation with en-suite bedroom, lounge and kitchen, and plenty of time to explore this beautiful region. Digital nomads are welcome and we have cable internet at the property.
Food is not included, but you are welcome to share eggs from our chickens and veggies and fruit from the garden.
Own transport is not essential but useful. We are a half hour stroll to a small town with supermarkets, schools, bars and restaurants. There is a bus service there to major cities and we are always happy to give you pointers of places to see.
We look forward to hosting you soon.
Lisa & Stewart moved to beautiful rural Galicia in 2007, self-restoring our old stone farmhouse. Having almost finished this task in 2014 we took on a second project in the same hamlet.
Thanks to many enthusiastic Workawayers we have now finished both restorations but we have enjoyed our Workaway experiences so much we want to continue inviting people to our homes to help us with everyday tasks such as weeding, landscaping, bramble hacking and fruit picking in our organic allotment and other outside jobs like mortaring the stone walls and painting.
The spring and summer are time for fiestas, outside eating, long walks and fun as well as some hard graft! Our local food fiestas start in February with the 'pig bone stew fiesta' and continue through May and June with a giant paella, then it is sardines and the Roman festival at Lugo in June (well worth a visit but you need to make a costume!) The local swimming pool opens later in the summer and is a great way to cool off when the temperatures soar. Galicia is truly a unique area so come and discover a new aspect to Spain, we look forward to welcoming you.
No smokers only please.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
House sitting
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We are English and have lived in our adopted country for 17 years. We therefore have many experiences to share with people. In addition we love to hear new stories from our helpers from around the world. We believe social interaction keeps the world going. We love Galicia and are more than happy to share this beautiful place with you.
Help
Volunteer work will vary from day to day and month to month depending on the season. We are currently looking for long-term helpers of two months or more. You will only be working a few hours a week (depending on the projects) so plenty of time to explore or do your own thing. No food with this placement, but you will share in our eggs and the veggies and fruit we will grow and pick together.
We prize flexibilty over experience, and initiative taking over all else. At the moment we are mainly looking for clean, tidy and respectful people to house and cat sit and keep our allotment while we are away. We have a number of garden projects which we would love your help with. We are also always looking for outdoor help in the gardens; bramble clearing, fruit picking, leaf collecting (for mulching the beds) and maybe some painting or mortaring of walls. A willingness to get stuck in is a quality we look for.
We have a large organic allotment which keeps us pretty much in vegetables, fruit and nuts year round. You will be able to share in this bounty. From June through to November there is plenty of opportunity for fruit and nut picking and to learn preserving skills in the kitchen if you wish (drying, jam making, bottling). In winter there is wood cutting, leaf collecting (for mulch) and more bramble clearing to be done. We also have chickens for eggs and meat.
We look forward to meeting you.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Accommodation
You will have your own comfortable, separate accommodation with an ensuite bedroom, large lounge and kitchen and small courtyard garden. You are also welcome to grow things you like to eat in the allotment if you are staying a while. Please note we are trying to be as eco friendly as possible and would appreciate your co-operation with this. The house is heated by wood-burning stoves in winter; there is NO central heating. We will provide wood and explain how to use the stoves if you are not familar.
What else ...
Galicia is one of the most beautiful areas of Spain; unspoilt, tranquil, green and friendly. There is lots to do nearby. We are situated in a tiny hamlet with woodland walks and tracks outside the door, both houses are still only a 20min walk into a small market town with supermarkets, restaurants and cafes, many with wifi access. In return for your enthusiasm we offer your own comfortable accomodation. Food is not included but we are happy to share eggs from our chickens and veggies from the garden. Non smokers ONLY please. Digital nomads are welcome. We have an extensive library of paperbacks and DVDs. The Ribeira Sacra is a beautiful and not widely known area and well worth exploring. We are happy to take some trips out to explore with you or point you in the right direction. On the 1st of each month there is a local farmers market and the walled Roman city of Lugo is worth a trip. In winter the thermal spa baths in Ourense are a must. If you wish to explore further afield we have a resources file available with lots of ideas accessible by public transport. These past 8years we have had lots of help from wonderful workawayers. We are looking forward to meeting more lovely people soon.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
You will have your own quiet accomodation. We have cable 5G internet at the property.
Space for parking camper vans
Happy to host campervans but do message to discuss your requirements as flat space is at a premium here and larger vans may be difficult to accommodate.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (20)
They were so flexible, happily taking on a housesit for us at a couple of days notice, almost obsessively clean and tidy - the house was gleaming when we returned - and always… read more
If you’ve ever wished you could clone yourself to get all those jobs done you never get round to, that’s what having these two was like. Rhonda was a demon weeder who you can’t stop once she gets going (if you value your life!) and cleans the house in the same way. Mark… read more
I hope to see them soon because I could love to share more cooking time with Lisa or share more… read more
Camila was a hard worker and importantly enjoyed chatting to mum while she worked in the garden. She is also a fab cook, ask for her Argentinian empanadas! Delicious.
Camila was tidy and… read more
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They were so flexible, happily taking on a housesit for us at a couple of days notice, almost obsessively clean and tidy - the house was gleaming when we returned - and always… read more
If you’ve ever wished you could clone yourself to get all those jobs done you never get round to, that’s what having these two was like. Rhonda was a demon weeder who you can’t stop once she gets going (if you value your life!) and cleans the house in the same way. Mark… read more
I hope to see them soon because I could love to share more cooking time with Lisa or share more… read more
Camila was a hard worker and importantly enjoyed chatting to mum while she worked in the garden. She is also a fab cook, ask for her Argentinian empanadas! Delicious.
Camila was tidy and… read more
It was our first Workaway and we are so grateful to have such a wonderful experience. We helped out… read more
Thank you for a wonderful time. Although it was difficult to talk to because my English is poor, I learned a lot. Thank you for your patience and learning, as well as unique experience (for the first time in my life I cut my tree with an axe and i am very happy. I hope that in the winter will be warm).
Lisa is the best cook I've ever met. Now I… read more
We were very kindly taken out a few times to absorb Galician culture, meet new friends and also to… read more
Not only were they skillful and willing workers but within hours it felt like we had 2 old friends staying rather than 2 strangers.
We truly enjoyed your company, the thrilling late night chess… read more
We had laughs, enjoyed great food, met lovely locals and ex pats from all over the world and enjoyed working on Iris's… read more
From the first moment I felt as I was visiting some old friends, as they were really nice to me, they even took me to see the surroundings (a near swimming pool, the local bars...)
Related… read more
Thank you so… read more
