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Host rating
90 %
Last replied
1 May 2026
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Description
SPRING 2026 Update
We are looking for help from the end of May into October 2026 : general maintenance, gardening, cleaning, cooking ... language exchange (French, Spanish, German, Farsi). Musicians, linguists and anyone willing to share a laugh ...
Singles or couples are welcome.
To see more about work and accommodation, see the 'Help' and 'Accommodation' sections lower down.
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We live in the mountains at the foot of Mount Canigou, 1hr from the Mediterranean on the French-Spanish border, in a truly beautiful wild setting. We are approximately 2 hrs north of Barcelona, and 1 hr south-west of Perpignan. We have a large old farmhouse with several outbuildings, a swimming pool and 20+ acres of land, forest and river.
And we've no neighbours to see or hear!
We have a small rustic campsite, with two 16m2 bell tents on wooden platforms in a forest near the stream : there is also a summer kitchen with hammocks and tents, an outside shower and dry toilet and large camp fire. This accommodates a maximum of 6 people in the summer months. Just friends, family and workawayers.
We have solar hot water for three of our buildings and the main house. We use water from the stream, gravity-fed, and are installing a new storage tank with purification and filters. We heat almost entirely with our own wood.
We used to grow our own vegetables, and plan to install a new polytunnel and raised beds in 2026-27.
We also plan to install our own hydro-electric generator next year, with water from one of the old aqueducts that once fed the land when it was an apple farm.
We have chickens and sheep (only a couple left now), a Border Collie called Blue, cats and a pond with fish … and there is plenty of local wildlife in our forests: wild boar, roe deer, foxes, griffon vultures ...
We also ran guided mountain walking holidays for small groups in May and October. We no longer do this, but know the routes and still enjoy them ourselves.
We have lived in this southern-most region of France, overlooking the Spanish border, since 2005.
My wife Ashley was a trained classical singer, but she passed in 2023 after 12 years fighting cancer from the age of only 34. So it's just me (Simon) and Sophia (my teenage daughter) now.
Before Ashley passed we were pretty self-sufficient (eggs, meat, vegetables, wood etc). But in the last 6 years our flock of sheep has diminished and the vegetable garden is in total disarray : two projects that we aim to revitalise over the next two years. We are just finding balance again, on our beautiful peaceful mountain. 🙂
I (Simon) am a lapsed anthropologist, who owned and ran an IT company in Edinburgh. I worked on WWOOF farmsteads in the mid 90s (WWOOF - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms).
Sophia, my daughter, still lives at home and helps out with many tasks. She's studying A Levels online in French, Spanish, German and Politics.
We love having down to earth, friendly, intelligent and multilingual guests!
If you're light of heart, got a spring in your step, don't mind graft, happy to chip in and can lend a tune or spin a yarn ... Then come along!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Culture
Politics / Social justice
Van life
Plant care
Music
Languages
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Books
Nature
Dancing
Mountain
Hiking
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You can improve your language skills. We are native English speakers, but Simon speaks English, German, French and Spanish. Sophia speaks English and French. Sophia is also learning Spanish and German.
You can learn about gardening, land management, fencing, maintenance, repairs, small building projects ...
You'll experience a way of life that is quite different from how most modern urbanites live, and hopefully really enjoy it.
So if you are a multi-lingual musician you are very welcome - especially fiddlers, guitarists and singers!
Help
After 20+ years there is a certain routine:
SPRING
During April, May and June - your help will include planting the vegetable garden, weeding, minor maintenance, painting, small building projects, strimming fields, fencing repairs, tending the animals.
SUMMER
During July and August the work has no building element.
Help with gardening, cleaning, the pool and cooking. As well as language support for our daughter is required (helping maintain her French and improve her German and Spanish, if those are some of your languages).
And fun with music and yoga?
AUTUMN
During September and October your help will include: making minor repairs, painting, small building projects, strimming, tending the animals, foresty clearing, field tidying and fencing repairs.
As this is an exchange, any skills that you can pass onto us will be much appreciated!
We are acquiring new ones all the time! Language - music?!
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Persian (Farsi): BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
I speak English, German, French and Spanish in order of fluency, and I'm learning Farsi. Looking for native speakers to help our daughter improve her French and learn German and Spanish. Farsi speakers welcome! 🙂
Accommodation
You would have a room in the main house with us in the main letting season (July/August).
Or you could use the Bell Tents in the private camping area during this period.
Out of main season (ie the rest of the year), when there are not many guests, you could have one of the guest apartments/gites.
Use of the gites is limited to the Pommier when it's not booked.
What else ...
Having your own transport would be useful for your days off, but it is possible without, as we could drop you off when necessary. I tend to only drive down the valley a maximum of once a week.
Public transport begins at Le Tech Village 6km from our farm, where buses will take you to Perpignan for 1 Euro. The next village (Montferrer) is 3km: a 15 minute bike ride.
The coast is not far away (1hr) and there are many small towns to visit in the area (in Spain and France). There are also plenty of mountain walks.
To truly take advantage of being in the mountains and so near to the Mediterranean, and of being so close to Spain (Figueras 1hr, Girona 1.5hrs, Barcelona 2hrs), having your own transport would be a bonus.
Bikes of course are also a possibility!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
I've two internet connections now for reliability. One data modem router and one standard landline router. I work on Salesforce projects myself, so connection is imperative. I've a dedicated office and a be hot desk area in the main. Speeds aren't super fast but adequate for video meetings and working
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Blue (9 years)
Full of life. Can still run the pants off most dogs because he's super fit. 😂
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
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Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
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He was great to have around, he chipped in with everything and did not shy away from hard graft! He picked up things really quickly and did a wonderful job of everything he was asked to do.
He was good company in the evenings and heartily enjoyed sharing a meal and a glass of wine, with good banter.
Sam, you are… read more
All the silly clichés aside: tending your own land, growing your own vegetables, building your business from scratch, earning… read more
The work is really varied and they gave us lots of responsibility. We helped with everything from growing… read more
Ziggy is a charming guy, with maturity and common sense well beyond his years. He was always helpful and hard working, and happy to turn his hand even to things that he didn't necessarily like… read more
I can't thank you all enough for the great stay I had in Montferrer. You were all incredibly welcoming from day one and I certainly felt like part of the family by the end of my stay. The house is in a beautiful location and was just the sort of place I was looking for. I enjoyed getting to know all of you and… read more
They were an absolute joy to be around. Positive, cheery, full of humour and not afraid of hard work.
We had loads of fun with them over meals, good banter, good hard work and good craic ...
Can't recommend them more highly. And Sophia misses them soooo much! Please come… read more
Glenn is a hardworking chipper kiwi, with a sense of humour to die for, literally! Ann-Soph a thoughtful, genuinely lovely French lass able to turn her hands to many… read more
We had a great time with you all, thanks especially to Sophia for looking after Liam and sharing your toys, what a little princess you are.
The accommodation provided was fantastic and we had a wonderful first workaway experience.
Great people in a beautiful environment , wishing you… read more
In my time in the Pyrenees, I learned to love, love, love walking in the mountains, listening to the wild river right below the house and swimming in… read more
She arrived at a difficult time for us as a family. My wife Ashley was very ill (now thankfully completely cured) and I was in the middle of a very large building project with a ridiculous deadline.
We… read more
