Stay in and help repair a charming 18th-century farmhouse in Rauland, Norway

Details

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  Description

  Hello, my name is Lars Erik and I live with my girlfriend and our cat on an 18th-century farm in the mountains of Norway. I recently took over responsibility for the farm, which has been in my family for about 250 years. Since the farm is now a protected site, it is no longer an active working farm with its own animals or agriculture, though animals do graze our fields during the summer. Instead, we focus on maintaining the property and repairing what needs attention to preserve its value for future generations.
  
  We live 760 meters above sea level, deep in the inland of Norway, in a quiet and peaceful place called Rauland. In the winter, Rauland transforms into a perfect skiing paradise. The snow usually begins to melt in April and is gone by May. As soon as conditions allow, we can start the renovations.
  
  There are 8 protected buildings on the site, the haybarn, the sheepbarn, the cowbarn, the stable, the cookhouse, two storage houses and finally the main building where the people lived. All of these buildings date back to the 17-1800s. Additionally, the farm holds traces from an even older settlement possibly dating back to late medieval time. You will be staying in one of the historical buildings, the cookhouse or the old main building, surrounded by traditional craftsmanship and folk art. I would love to share the history of this place with you, and I know plenty of fascinating stories!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Help around the house
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  Interests

  

  Dancing

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Sustainability

  

  Self development

  

  Winter sports

  

  Farming

  

  Events & social

  

  Politics / Social justice

  

  LGBTQ

  

  Culture

  

  Pets

  

  Art & design

  

  Plant care

  

  Music

  

  History

  

  Books

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Gardening

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Photography

  

  Languages

  

  Hitchhiking

  

  Astronomy

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Carpentry

  

  Animals

  

  Nature

  

  Mountain

  

  Cycling

  

  Hiking
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We hope to share some great times with our workawayers through conversations and companionship. I know a lot of folklore and local history, and I’m always happy to share stories and hear new ones as well. We love to play music and are happy to play together and share tunes from different countries.
  
  The work around the farm involves caring for historic log buildings, and restoring them requires traditional methods. We’ll be happy to teach you these techniques. Last but not least, you will experience how people lived around 200 years ago in rural Norway by staying in an original, protected 18th-century building.

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  Help

  Some of the tasks we need help with this summer include:
  - Restoring windows on the old main building. Most of the work involves sanding and painting, but all work on the protected buildings must be done using traditional methods. We are happy to share this knowledge with you.
  - Digging water channels to help keep the grounds dry.
  - Mowing the lawn and cutting firewood.
  - Sanding and painting the windows on the new main building.
  -Cutting planks and material with a sawmill.
  -Feeding and taking care of the chickens.
  
  We wish for our workawayers to help out around 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week. Since you will be living and working with buildings of historical significance, we are looking for individuals who are considerate, responsible, and have good practical knowledge. We need to trust our workawayers to maintain tidiness and cleanliness while handling the historic buildings with care and respect. It is important that you have experience with renovation or DIY work.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Icelandic: Fluent
  Norwegian nynorsk: Fluent
  Danish: Intermediate
  Swedish: Intermediate
  German: Beginner
  French: 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

  The farm is a typical 18th-century West-Telemark-style farm with log houses. The farm was designated as a protected site in the 1960s because of its excellent preservation and the fact that it has remained unchanged for centuries.
  
  You will get to live in the old main living quarters, a beautiful and charming house with traditional 18th-century decorative painted interior, known as rosepaintings. The interior features classic 18th-century elements, including corner beds, traditional cabinets, a fireplace, and period furniture. This house is in need of window restoration.
  
  There are plenty of bedrooms in the house. The kitchen is fully equipped with a sink, stove, oven, and fridge. There is also a small bathroom with a shower. The old cookhouse is also available for accommodation, it is equally romantic but that house only has a simple kitchen corner and no bathroom.
  
  We used to live in the old main building before moving to a more modern house on the premises. Now, we frequently host guests there in the old main building and in the old cookhouse. With all the original interiors, our guests will have the experience of almost being transported back in time.
  
  We provide three meals daily—breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If cooking meals during your working hours is something you're comfortable with (whether occasionally or more regularly), we’d be happy to discuss how we can share the responsibility for meal preparation to ensure it works well for everyone.

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  What else ...

  In your free time, there’s plenty to explore and enjoy. You can take a dip in the nearby lake, Lognvikvatn, or head out for a peaceful row in the boat. The area is perfect for hiking, with beautiful views from the nearby mountains, including the place of the historic Dansarstein.
  
  The nearest town, Rauland, is just 10 minutes away by car, about 30 minutes on an electric bike, or around an hour with a regular bike. There are two grocery shops in Rauland, a cafe, a restaurant and a pub. It can be a quiet spot during the summer, but once autumn comes, the town fills up with university students and the pool and the gym with a climbing wall opens again.
  
  If you like cycling, we’ve got bikes you can borrow for scenic rides or to get around. There’s also a school bus during the school year (not during summer vacation), and if you ever need a lift, I’m happy to help with the car.

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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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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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