Profile information
Host rating
80 %
Last replied
30 May 2025
Reply rate
75.0 %
Usually responds within 2 days
Feedback
5
Email verified
Badges (3)
Details
Description
In 2013 Bob and I (Helen) bought our current property, a 14th century maison de maitre that had been derelict for a few hundred years. Since then we have been working on the house and grounds to create our dream home.
We have 15 hectares which are shared between our six horses and our developing garden. We have discovered that the more you do the more you are capable of tackling and the best thing about such a big project is that there are so many different things to do you can never get bored.
We are often distracted by fun projects, for example building a bread/pizza oven out of cob (mud and straw) in the garden which has provided much fun making pizzas together with all our visitors.
We have two dogs that are very much part of the family. Our son is often with us at the weekends to help out, although less so now as he has just bought a house near Nantes (maybe also a workaway opportunity).
We love cooking together and exploring new food ideas so if you would like to cook with us and share your favourites we would be really pleased.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
General Maintenance
Interests
Pets
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Art & design
Architecture
Animals
Sailing / Boating
Water sports
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We would be delighted to share with you any skills we can whilst helping on the house and grounds. We are experienced on using traditional methods and so can teach you things like plastering with lime and clay/mud. We can also teach you about the principles of traditional methods and their benefits to modern life and the environment.
We are native English speakers and speak French so could help you with either or both of these languages.
Help
The tasks depend upon the time of year and what we are currently tackling but we always have different things on the go and of course there is always general maintenance help needed. Please do contact us to discuss what we have on the go during the time of your visit.
The activities are generally outdoors and physical.
A few of the possible activities include gardening; hedge trimming; strimming, chopping and splitting firewood and other activities around the house and land.
We do have machines for these, i should add, and will give you any training required to use them and to do the tasks.
We are totally flexible with the times and days you help so that you can make the most of visiting the region or just relax by our lake with a book. We ask for 28 hours per week and you choose when you do them.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Accommodation
We have a guest room in a separate wing of the house with a double bed and a private bathroom. Next to this is another bedroom so if you are two friends traveling together you could have separate rooms and share the bathroom. There is WIFI. We would provide your meals, our meal times can be erratic but the food and local wine is always good.
What else ...
We are close to: Le Mans, famous for it's 24hr racing and ancient Plantagenet city; to Angers; to the Loire valley with it's chateaux and vinyards. There is a train station a few km from us and we would be happy to drive you there sometimes, we also have bicycles you can use. the train takes you to Le Mans, Angers etc. The Sarthe river is a half hour walk through the forest, the river offers fishing, kayak and walking its banks.
We also have a baby grand piano that would love to be played and a drum kit if you are musical.
We have a lot of wildlife around us, we see wild boar and deer as well as a range of birds, ducks and eagles etc
We have resident Little Owls who are often in the garden especially when they are training their young during summer evenings.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We now have fibre so the connection is very reliable and works from the guest room.
Space for parking camper vans
We have a lot of land and parking areas so any size of van would be fine and not in the way.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (3)
They were very thorough in their… read more
Helen, Bob and Thomas are very kind, thoughtful and accommodating hosts! We spent 9 days with them and from the moment we arrived felt very much at ease and totally “at home”.
We were very impressed by what they’ve achieved since moving into their characterful property. Many of the jobs they took on themselves,… read more
From the first contact they came across as enthusiastic and friendly but also considerate and sincere. They suggested a phone call before they arrived which was an excellent idea to put both sides at ease. This also gave us more of an… read more
We really enjoyed working outdoors, driving the tractor and quad bike, trimming hedges, and our favourite task of planting a hundred Christmas trees. What really… read more
Photos
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
They were very thorough in their… read more
Helen, Bob and Thomas are very kind, thoughtful and accommodating hosts! We spent 9 days with them and from the moment we arrived felt very much at ease and totally “at home”.
We were very impressed by what they’ve achieved since moving into their characterful property. Many of the jobs they took on themselves,… read more
From the first contact they came across as enthusiastic and friendly but also considerate and sincere. They suggested a phone call before they arrived which was an excellent idea to put both sides at ease. This also gave us more of an… read more
We really enjoyed working outdoors, driving the tractor and quad bike, trimming hedges, and our favourite task of planting a hundred Christmas trees. What really… read more
