Learn about sustainable farming on our land near La Ferte Bernard, France

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: No minimum

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    LONG TERM help would be ideal. As would someone with their own transport (we're VERY rurally located)

    If you are young at heart and open-minded then read on....

    We moved to France in 2008 from Scotland with the aim of living more ecologically and are passionate about sustainability. We live on the edge of the Perche National Park in a small hamlet and have an old house with barn and outbuildings together with 7 hectares (17 acres) of land. Our nearest village is 2.5 km (1 mile) away and the nearest town, La Ferte Bernard is 5.5 miles to the south with good facilities. From La Ferte Bernard there are easy, direct rail and road links to Le Mans (30 miles) and Paris (105 miles).

    Accommodation is in our house and food is sharing our daily repas. We are flexitarian but are very plant-based. Sometimes help with food prep is needed and a hand washing up is wonderful.

    Only one of my lads are still here full-time (aged 16). Two dogs and four cats 'help' with the farm. Then there are the chickens, the geese, the ducks, the sheep, and the donkeys.

    Whilst I have been growing our own vegetables organically for many years, this is the first time that there has been the space to extend this to animals and field crops so anyone joining us will be participating in a steep but enjoyable learning curve!

    Alongside organic growing we are also implementing permaculture principles and trying to reduce mechanisation wherever possible - we have used a scythe to harvest our hay. We are trying to get back to traditional skills, thereby protecting those skills and hopefully reducing our carbon footprint at the same time.

    I have been a volunteer host for more than 10 years with various organisations.

    It's good to have helpers all year round and long-term helpers are especially welcome. So long as you come with an open spirit and a smile, you will be welcomed with open arms.

    Non-smokers only.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Help

    Help

    It's a bit mad and hectic at times as I am now on my own with my lads and that is part of the reason that I need some help. I guess I'm just looking to have a friend here, someone who would help with keeping the weeds back so that we actually get some veggies, someone who would like to chuck a bucket of food to the 4-leggeds in the evening whilst I'm making the evening meal, help harvest and eat/process the fruit and nuts, chop/collect some wood in the winter, someone who would pass me a hanky when life gets a bit tough and just generally be around. I couldn't really say how many "hours a day" this entails, it's just living with us. I hope that I am being honest when I say that it wouldn't be really hard work. You would of course be free to go off and explore this lovely part of France and on those days I'm guessing that you'll be happiest to look after yourself.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    French: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Tents in the Spring/Summer/Autumn but a room in the house in the Winter.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    I often have to go into our local town in the car and you could of course come with me. It has a cinema and a swimming pool (also an open-air swimming pool in the Summer) and a recreational lake. There is a market 3 times a week for local produce.

    We have a bicycle that you can borrow if you want to head off around the leafy lanes.

    If you want to go further afield, maybe catch the train to Le Mans (the atmosphere there during the Le Mans 24hr fortnight is electric!) or visit Chartres and its beautiful cathedral. Paris is a direct train-ride away.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    This host can provide space for campervans.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    One

Host ref number: 662453819969

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Photos

The image depicts a brown and white goat standing in a grassy field, accompanied by two baby goats, with a wooden fence and trees visible in the background.
The image depicts three children walking along a dirt path in a grassy field, with a forest in the background and a clear blue sky above.
The image depicts a family of four posing in front of a barn, with two children sitting on a tractor and two adults standing beside it.
The image depicts a family of four standing outside a house, with the mother and two children holding plates of food, set against a serene garden backdrop.
The image depicts a family of six gathered around a table, with a woman and man seated on the right and four children on the left. The table is set with food and drinks.
The image depicts a serene rural landscape featuring a large hay bale in the foreground, set against a backdrop of rolling hills and trees.

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