Help build an off-grid forest home in Trebons, France

Details

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  Description

  THE HOSTS
  
  Rachel and Florian live with Pirate and River the rescue dogs, Manny and Luna the donkeys, a gang of chickens, and Lorenzo the amazing rooster we found in a charity shop. Rachel is a food systems journalist and Florian is a man of many trades who is currently building our home.
  
  We spent many years living in tents and vans and working/volunteering on farms and homesteads. In 2022, we moved into our own home with 10.5 hectares of forest.
  
  We eat a mostly organic, local, vegetarian diet. But a couple of times a month, we eat meat from neighbours. We speak French, English, and Spanish.
  
  THE HOUSE
  
  The house is an old farm that fell into ruin. It is now air and watertight, but it's still being completely rebuilt as we live in it. Think concrete; think piles of tools in every corner. We live 2.5 km down a private track, which is difficult to access without a 4x4. We are very excited to announce that we now have hot water, flushing toilets, and a fully functional kitchen!
  
  We have no wifi and almost no phone signal. We do have clouds of butterflies drifting around the place and birds of prey circling above us.
  
  THE WORK
  
  There is an entire house to renovate, a forest to care for, and plenty of animals that need love and care. We are particularly interested in hosting people who are physically strong and happy to help with outdoor tasks as Rachel is heavily pregnant and Florian is very busy in the house - so we could do with the help (think fencing, building veggie beds etc).
  
  For the physically strong, every hour you do with the strimmer clearing brambles counts as at least 2 hours in our book ;). Otherwise, you can help with building projects, preparing food, or cleaning. We have done workaway worldwide, so we think we can offer a fair exchange where everyone benefits.
  
  We will treat you as a family member and invite you to come with us to see our friends. Or, if you prefer, we will let you have some personal space and do your own thing. Please be aware that we live a really simple and quiet life, so this might be a better place for a couple or for someone who enjoys their own company and tranquillity. We will be happy to exchange with you and spend time together - but we can't be in "host mode" all the time because we also have lots of work to do on the house and Rachel has a job.
  
  We ask you to help us four hours a day, five days a week.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You can practice French or English with Florian. He spent 6 years travelling, living in a tent and hitchhiking.
  Nearby you have the famous town of Lourdes, where many Catholic people go on a pilgrimage.
  There are also hot springs, skiing, hiking, and horse riding possibilities in the area.
  The closest town is Bagneres de Bigorre - a nice town with busy markets and lots of wonderful, alternative people.

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  Help

  outside - strimming, cutting wood, building veggie beds
  animals - cleaning out and feeding chickens, walking donkeys and dogs
  inside - cooking, cleaning, helping make things house-like

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  You'll have a double bed. We have hot water and flushing toilets.
  Most of the house is still in major renovation mode.
  We live in the middle of the forest, far from any neighbours.
  You won't have wifi, but we have a data sim so you can check your emails and do your travel research, etc. It can't be used for streaming movies, though.

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  What else ...

  We can pick you up from Lourdes, Tarbes, or Bagneres de Bigorre. If you want a lift from Lourdes or Tarbes, let us know your times in advance so we can try to coordinate with other errands.
  It is also possible to get a bus to Trebons (our village) for 2 euros from Lourdes or Bagneres de Bigorre. Hitchhiking is also easy in the area.
  A vehicle is a plus as we are so isolated in the forest. If you don't have one, we can bring you along with us when we go to the market/visit friends etc

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We can host people with other projects but internet isn't up to much. Rachel occasionally goes to a coworking space in a nearby town, and it's possible you might want to come along - super fast internet, but costs about 8 euros a day to be at the coworking.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  A small van like a berlingo could make it down our track. A big campervan would struggle on the hairpin bends. Let us know about your vehicle and we will advise.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  We have two male dogs (one is not castrated), chickens, and donkeys. We would consider accepting animals on a case-by-case basis.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  4 hrs/ day, 5 days a week.

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