Help needed in the woods on the hill in Villaviciosa, Spain

Details

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  Description

  The finca is on a hillside facing south on the north coast of Asturias ( 10 min drive to the sea...)
  I have done a lot of volunteering over the years so it has been great to have a place of my own to share and I´ve enjoyed the real mix of people coming to volunteer here... (my 10 year old Son is also here every 2 months or so)
  
  The finca is 320 meters above sea level with lovely views of the mountains, including the Picos de europa...
  The most beautiful mornings are when the cloud hanges in the just the valleys with just a few peaks poking out, feels a bit like the Himalayas or something! :-)
  
  I, Ben am a carpenter/builder and over the last few years have been getting involved in a variety of interesting projects in the area from old stone building renovation to Goedesic dome building and rerciprical pagodas...
  
  I am now working less this year as I have recently got permission to build/repair the building that we have here and there is a lot to do !...
  
  My Son Sol is here every few months and is a ball of energy and keen on everything, exploring the woods in the area , making things in the workshop, building stuff ... you name it !
  
  We have a large van which has a woodburner which is free for people to stay in , also plenty of space to camp...there is also a communal space where there is a decent kitchen etc...
  We also have a compost toilet and a fire bath for washing... also washing machine..
  
  The finca is 1 Hecter with some terraces cut out near to the buildings.
  At the moment the place is a bit of a jungle , the vegatble patch is a little overgrown and we are very keen to get it more in order for this year.. its a continual evolution!
  
  Spring
  We enjoy cooking , playing music, exploring the area (we have a lot of paths through the woodland here..
  Lots of nature and animals, we have a young dog and cat here . Acacia and Euci
  
  We welcome people from all walk of life, do please come visit for a few weeks.
  
  We are open to the possibility of people staying on for longer periods of time....
  I speak english and pretty good spanish , Gabrielle mostly just Spanish...
  We try to eat good food and can cater for vegetarians
  
  Any questions do get in touch :-)
  
  
  Nuestra finca está ubicada en un monte orientación al Sur de la costa norte de de Asturias (10 minutos a la costa).
  Nosotros Ben y Sol (tiene 9 años) que viene de visita cada dos meses por un mes.
  
  Aquí tenemos un altura de 320 metros con una vista preciosa, tenemos las montanas grandes de los picos de Europa. Las mañanas más impresionante es cuando tienes la niebla que se ve desde abajo dentro de todo los valles, también se ve algunos picos saliendo, parecido a los Himalayas .
  Yo Ben soy Carpintero/Constructor, en general estoy ocupado trabajando durante todo el día, con varios proyectos pero tengo plan de pasar más tiempo por mi finca comenzando el mes de marzo, ya que desde hace poco empezamos a reparar/modificar/ arreglar las dos viviendas aquí en la finca y trabaje fuera durante todo este año!
  
  
  Mi hijo está aquí cada unos meses.. Esta un bola de energía siempre empezando proyectos, tallando madera, usando herramientas, pasando el area cerca con su arco y explorando.
  Tenemos una furgo grande, una Mercedes vieja, con estufa de leña y una cocina pequeña, una cama grande, este espacio está disponible para los voluntarios, tanto para dormir y uso en general. También tenemos espacio para acampar …
  También tenemos un espacio comunal con cocina y salón/espacio cómodo dentro de una de las naves.
  Aquí contamos con un Baño seco, bañera de fuego ! y lavadora de ropa.
  La Finca tiene 1 hectaria más a menos con algunas terrazas cerca de las viviendas. Ahora es un poco jungla …, nuestra huerta está un poco decaída pero tenemos ganas de que vuelva revivir … una evolución que continua! Primavera !
  Disfrutamos de cocinar, tocar música, explorar la área (tenemos muchos caminos por el bosque aquí) y varias playas guapas no tan lejos. Es posible llegar al pueblo caminando aprox. una hora bajando, pero un poco más de tiempo para volver! Mucha naturaleza y muchos animalitos del bosque, nosotros tenemos una gata y una perrita.
  También tenemos un horno de piedra para cocinar pizza, pan, tarta …
  Bienvenido toda la gente de todo los caminos de la vida , estan invitados a pasar una semana o dos aquí. Estamos abierto a la posibilidad de personas con ganas de pasar un tiempo largo aquí.
  Hablo ingles y bastante bien español , Gabi solo habla español y Sol muy bien los dos idiomas.
  Tratamos de comer sano en lo posible, no somos vegetarianos pero no tenemos problema en compartir comidas vegetarianas/veganas.
  Cualquier inquietud preguntar sin problemas! Todas preguntas bienvenidas!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  We are situated at the top of a wide south facing valley which provides a panoramic view of the Pico de Europa mountain range. The mornings here are spectacular with a view that is different day on day, its not that easy to put into words but its one of the main reason we chose to move to this spot :-)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Since moving here our lives have evolved in many ways but most notably the amount of time spent outside and we feel this as one of the greatest treasures here and hope we can share that with you.
  
  We are putting into action things that we've planned/ dreamed of for many years from gardening to building and having volunteered ourselves a great deal over the years we have picked up many skills on the way which we look forward to sharing. As there are so many areas and ideas for this relatively large space we are also keen to have input and inspiration/ideas from people visiting.
  
  We also have a growing number of friends in the area who are generally interesting folk and we hang out quite a bit, you will meet some good folk :-)
  Also there is then opportunities to volunteer with some of these people as they are mostly doing similar things...

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  Help

  Tasks on the to do list:
  
  Communal
  
  -Gardening, our initial veg patch last year was fun but small and this year’s looks to be far more ambitious with many beds of everything under the sun that will need maintaining, watering and some additional planting etc
  -Volunteer/guest cabin needs to be finished
  -Fencing
  -Artistic/sculptural stuff :-)
  -Fire bath to be repaired
  
  There is also plenty of strimming and bramble removal that it is necessary to keep on top of however we won’t expect you to do days on end of this kind of work as it is tiring.
  
  The Barn/ house Renovation Project:
  
  The main focus is renovating the 100 year old stone house and the attached barn, from the ground up... I recently put in the drainage and now the real work begins.
  
  -Laying blocks/ mixing cement (Im hoping to get in a brick layer for that...)
  -Removing old lime render and re-rendering with a insulating render.
  -Removing old rotton woodwork and replaicing with beautiful new bits of eaucaliptus or chestnut beams
  -Laying plank for the first floor
  
  -Laying the ground floor, insulated pad and cork tile finish
  -Pipe work: drainage and underfloor heating
  -Installing windows
  
  Then there is also the barn which needs attention and an extension which will be the bathroom and finally a porch verander out the front... wont be getting bored any time soon!
  
  Although we are on the grittier/sweatier part of this building project we’re kind and accommodating folk
  but be aware that this will be hard work.
  You will be well looked after!

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  Irish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  At the moment we can accommodate up to one campervan after May .
  
  Otherwise helpers can use our large camper van which has its own cooking space and can sleep up to 3 people. There may be times when we have quite a few people so hopefully your ok with sharing space, we do however also have a large tent and a small caravan which could be used if needed :-)
  
  If you are coming by vehicle please let us know so we can plan accordingly as the track leading to our home is best when it is dry etc!.
  
  We will provide you with 3 meals a day on the days you work, this will be good solid meals! Mostly vegitarian although we do like to have BBQ s sometimes and do eat meat a couple of times a week... We are more than happy to accomodate Veggie or vegan folk.
  
  We have a communal shower block with nice hot water 24/7 and a compost toilet :-)

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  What else ...

  The local area:
  
  The closest town is Villaviciosa which is 10 mins drive away/ around and hours walk (longer on the way back as we are at the top of quite a steep hill! There are buses and we have a couple of little run around cars too. Gijon is located 30kms away and is a relatively big city with Oviedo located 40 minutes drive which is a cosmopolitan Spanish city. Both of these are accessible by bus from the local town with regular buses each day.
  
  There are stunning views all the way over the valley to the green hills and beyond with the craggy peaks of the Picos de Europa visible on most days. Around the property you will find a few different paths leading off into the Eucalyptus forest which you would be welcome to explore. We are quite close to the coast (15 mins by car) the closest beach is Playa Espana, part of the Jurassic coast line with lots of interesting geology and a nice bar!
  
  Please make sure you have waterproofs and a decent pair of boots (something waterproof) as being between coast and mountains the weather can be pretty changeable and wet even in the summer months although July -Dec is usually the best and sunniest time of year with temps averaging around 24 degrees C.

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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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  Space for parking camper vans

  The acess has recently been improved, it is not perfect but you can get in and out fine...

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  Can possibly accept pets

  I'm willing to have some cats and dogs.I have loads of space for animals to run around.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  4 hours a day, 5 days a week

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