Outdoor projects on an old farmhouse in a forest outside Barcelona, Spain

Details

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  Description

  We are an English/Irish couple who have lived in Spain over 15 years. We recently bought an old farmhouse in a forest outside Barcelona.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Come and help us on our dream project renovating an old masia in the beautiful quiet pine forests just outside Barcelona.
  
  We found our property at the start of 2023, after a four year search and being very close to giving up entirely. It was a lot of work trying to find the right place and when we moved here in summer it felt like a dream come true. Although now the real work starts!
  
  We have 7 hectares of forest and property which hasn't been looked after for 15 years. There's loads to do, if you like being outdoors - you'll love it here. We are mainly focusing on the outside - the forest needs clearing and taming but the inside also needs some painting and decorating. The bedrooms are done and you'll have your own large double room with en-suite bathroom.
  
  Kinds of projects you may be involved in:
  - Clearing the forest and removing the debris (we can teach how to do this safely)
  - Chopping logs
  - Digging trails
  - Landscaping
  - General gardening
  - General maintenance and cleaning
  - Painting
  - Building a wooden platform
  - Laying paving tiles
  
  We both love to cook (David is a qualified chef), but we would also be happy to take you to the supermarket to get ingredients so you can cook what you like. We generally cook one meal in the evening and help ourselves in the day.

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  Help

  Our priorities at the moment are the outdoors:
  
  - We are building walking / bike trails.
  - We are clearing the forest of trees and debris, this is an ongoing and never ending project.
  - We want to paint our living room and kitchen (as soon as we can decide on the colour)
  - We have general day to day tasks like organising firewood, clearing the forest, tending the veggie garden
  
  We'd generally like you to help us from 10:00 - 15:00 with a break for lunch 5 days a week, otherwise you are free to do whatever you like. Depending on our schedule we may be able to offer lifts to Barcelona / Mataro / Train station.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  The property is set in a forest just outside a small typical catalan town - it's a 30 minute walk to the town where you can then get a bus to the beach/nearest city (Mataro). The nearest train station is a 15 minute drive away and goes to both Barcelona and Girona.
  
  If you have a car, it's just 20 minutes to the beach and 45 minutes drive to Barcelona.
  
  We have 1 room with a double bed, desk and private bathroom available.
  
  We are both good cooks and always enjoy a meal together at night. In the day we will be a bit more relaxed, you will be welcome to join us or help yourself to food. We will do a shop for anything you may want in particular.

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  What else ...

  We are in the middle of a forest on the edge of a national park so if you like hiking, mountain biking or being in nature this will be for you. The nearest town is 1.8km at the end of our dirt road and it takes 5 minutes to drive / cycle and 30 minutes to walk so we are secluded but not isolated. There are bars, restaurants and a few supermarkets there. The nearest train station is 15 minutes away and Barcelona city 30 minutes from there. Nearest beach is Mataro, a 20 minute drive or a 7km as the crow flies from our house (the other side of our mountain though). There are a few restaurants that can be reached by hiking through the forest, a great way to spend a day off. Bring your walking boots...

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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 have 'hotspot 4g' which works fine for video calls. 5G also reaches the house, but we haven't got a router yet. Hopefully for 2024.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have space for you to put your van/camp etc.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Please contact us with details about your dog. We have a well-behaved medium sized dog so as long as your dog is friendly with other dogs, then it shouldn't be a problem.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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