Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
20 Mar 2024
Reply rate
93.3 %
Usually responds within 8 days
Feedback
17
Facebook verified
Email verified
Badges (3)
Details
Description
Our home is a small family run hobby farm on 2.5 acres in beautiful Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. We have 3 horses (1 huge draft x, Hugo, & 2 adorabe miniature horses, Penny & Ziggy) 2 dogs, farm cats, fruit trees, & a patio garden. Shawnigan Lake wonderful for swimming. There are many trails & mountains near by for those who love to hike. Weekend adventures are an easy commute with Victoria to the South and all of the rest of our amazing Island to the North! Transportation/rides for weekend get aways can usually be arranged. Accommodation can be in our comfortable guest room with a shared bathroom or for the more outdoorsy type, tenting is available with access to bathroom/shower. We have a great firepit (propane fire pit during fire bans) area for starry nights by the fire and a spacious deck to lounge & enjoy at the end of the day. We have a large variety of board games, free WiFi access, & TV. We love to meet new people and are always open to learning from shared experiences. We always have a list of projects on the go. Boredom is not a problem. Our current need is to do some more fencing & gates, creating a new vegetable garden area, and clearing a trail for a new track system for the horses! We have the appropriate tools etc. Just never enough time to get everything done ourselves. My husband also has ongoing renovations for our home that may need the odd helping hand! It will be great😅😁😎
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
They'll gain insights into the joys & challenges of small scale hobby farming. Hopefully we'll all enjoy the exchange of new food ideas as well as learning other useful skills from each other as we tackle our daily projects. Language & other cultural exchanges are looked forward to as we work, hang out, & get to know one another. Also weekend outings to explore beautiful Vancouver Island will be rich experiences for sure.
Help
At this time workawayers with building, painting, fencing, gardening, or landscaping skills would be most helpful. Must thoroughly enjoy animals of all types as we are a very pet friendly home. A love of food & friends is also an asset!
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
We have a guest room with a queen bed with access to a shared bathroom. Also we have tenting available for those who'd rather or if the guest rooms are occupied. Tents can be supplied on request. Access to household bathrooms. Breakfast items, lunch, dinner, & some snacks will be provided during helping days. We do our best to accommodate dietary needs. Off days will be workawayers' responsibility if they are out and about seeing the sights.
What else ...
We'll do our best to accommodate or help arrange rides/transportation( not guaranteed) to any of the many wonderful tourist destinations on Vancouver Island. There are too many to list.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
Water, power & a portable sewage tank that can be used to move contents to our septic tank
Can possibly accept pets
A dog would be considered
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 4-5 days a week. open to longer days 4 days a week to allow workawayers to have 3 days off to explore the island
Feedback (9)
They made us feel very comfortable and did everything they could, to show us some nearby trails, hikes and… read more
They made us feel very comfortable and did everything for us for having a good time.
We had many projects such as building a trail for the horses, a shed for their wood storage and a wall to stabilise their vegetable garden.
Therefore they… read more
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
They made us feel very comfortable and did everything they could, to show us some nearby trails, hikes and… read more
They made us feel very comfortable and did everything for us for having a good time.
We had many projects such as building a trail for the horses, a shed for their wood storage and a wall to stabilise their vegetable garden.
Therefore they… read more
Gerry and Chris have been very nice and kind to me since the first day. They are a lovely couple who will take care of you, as though they are your parents. Meals were always delicious and I am already missing the food! The work is not too tough and it was really a very… read more
Their house is cozy and lively and the dogs contribute a big part to this.
I liked working for them and I really liked the work with the horses. I really miss the fresh canadian air in the morning and the… read more
Tech savvy... Camilla and her friend Mette had a stay with us in the summer. Lovely social hardworking young ladies. Always ready to take on a task. Loved what hung for their travelling Dventure after they left us.
We right from the start like a part of the family and they’ve absolutely great :smiley: They really did everything they could to make us feel right at home and we really enjoyed time we got to spend with them including their 2 daughters :blush:
All in all a great experience and I… read more
