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Host is looking for help immediately
Host rating
85 %
Last replied
3 Jun 2025
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Details
Description
Hello! Welcome to our profile.
We’re a group of friends who started this project six years ago.
Our aim is to live simply, grow some of our own food, and take care of the land while learning along the way.
The land covers about eight hectares, but only a small part is used for our personal garden and daily needs. The rest is lightly maintained so that local plants and wildlife can grow freely, because encouraging biodiversity is important to us.
We are three permanent people, but there are many passages.
We also created a small non-profit association to support ecological and community-based projects, although volunteering here focuses mainly on our daily life and homestead activities.
In the long term, we really want to establish ourselves in our region by offering a range of cultural and agricultural activities on our farm.
We're aiming for food self-sufficiency, but above all, we want to create a network of exchanges with the people around us.
We're really trying to take care of the nature that already exists here, and one of our aims is to naturally extend the areas of woodland and plant trees and hedges.
For several years now, we've been inspired by the principles of permaculture but are open to many forms of respectful vegetable cultivation.
We have a garden, fruit trees, an orchard, hives (all dedicated to self-sufficiency only), as well as a pig, dwarf goats, a dog, and cats.
If you'd like to know a bit more about us...( The permanent residents):
Virgile (32): has various training courses in woodwork, carpentry, sculpture...he has also been working with clay recently, sometimes starting a second life at night to geek :)
Christian (39): Astrophysicist, he has worked abroad. Before his studies, he worked for several years in market gardening and wants to develop the vegetable gardening part here. He's a film fan and also does a bit of oil painting.
Titouan (32): He studied and works for himself in waste management on building sites, but also in gardening. He can spend hours in the garden.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Interests
Politics / Social justice
Pets
Movies & TV
LGBTQ
Farming
Events & social
Culture
Writing
Plant care
Performing arts
Music
Languages
Hitchhiking
Gardening
Drawing & painting
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Astronomy
Art & design
Animals
Outdoor activities
Nature
Mountain
Hiking
Dancing
Camping
Adventure sports
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Having been on workaway ourselves in various countries, we'd like to take our turn as hosts.
We love the Workaway spirit because we enjoy meeting people from different backgrounds, learning from others, and sharing our lifestyle. For us, this is about human connection, not about free labor.
We hope to grow through hosting, just as we hope our guests learn and grow from their time here.
Here, you can take part in participatory workshops with other farmers, and there's also another association that welcomes young people from all over the world, not far from where we live, with whom we are in contact.
In the summer, we sometimes go to festivals where you can also come if you like.
We also go hiking and swimming in the river in the afternoons...
Help
We are a small private homestead with a non-commercial lifestyle. Everything we grow or build here is for our own use and daily life. The goal is to live more simply, learn practical skills, and connect with others along the way.
Right now, most of our energy goes into developing the garden, so your help will be especially appreciated there. However, we often have small projects going on, and we’ll always check in with you to see what you’re comfortable with and interested in.
No experience in gardening, DIY? No problem — we are not professionals either! We believe in learning by doing and are happy to share what we know, and to learn from you as well.
If you do have specific knowledge or interests (even if they’re not listed here), we’d love to hear about them. We enjoy exchanging ideas, learning together, and building a sense of community.
We usually work together in the mornings and leave the afternoons free for rest, exploration or shared moments. You’ll have a lot of independence during your stay (feel free to ask us about local walks or visits!).
We also see daily life as part of the experience: cooking together, taking care of the animals, keeping things tidy — these are all shared responsibilities and part of the volunteering time.
Don’t worry, we always keep things flexible and fun. You won’t be working more than 25 hours per week, and we make sure there’s always space for meaningful conversations, personal time, and holiday vibes.
Languages
Languages spoken
French: Fluent
English: IntermediateThis 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.
Accommodation
The house is finished, but you can't expect great comfort: we have a kitchen and a bathroom with hot water, and the dormitory is basic.
On the other hand, you can sleep in a private caravan in the garden (several are available), alone, as a couple, or with a friend if you want to sleep in the same bed.
There are also places to pitch a tent if you wish. In a dormitory in the house, it's first come, first served if it's busy.
We use a compost toilet in a cabin in the garden. ( So you have to be able to empty it to ;) )
We do not have internet access in the caravans, but we do have access in the house.
Meals are provided for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; we share meals during the week for breakfast before work and for lunch. For dinner, that depends; we can share or eat alone. At weekends, anything is possible.
We eat as much local and organic food as possible, and we can adapt, depending on people's diets.
What else ...
It's the countryside here and if you're looking for peace and quiet and to enjoy nature this is certainly the right place, otherwise you're likely to get bored.
The first village is a ten-minute walk by the main road or by path through the forest.
There's a lovely river we can take you to, or you can cycle there.
We can organise weekend outings to the Puy de Dôme volcano if you wish, as well as swimming pool and hammam outings half an hour away... Or other activities to think about together. (Subject to availability, of course).
During your stay you can borrow bicycles.
We can collect you from Varennes sur Allier station.
Also, don't forget that during your free time, you're part of the house, just like us, and we ask you to respect the communal areas and all the residents by helping with the daily chores.
Autonomy and self-management are more than welcome! :)
We really hope to meet you in our farm !
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
To be requested on a case-by-case basis
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
