Woodwork and sustainability in a wild place, Aquitaine, France

  • Favourited 1234 times
  • Last activity: 18 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Hi there!

    Our little family started to settle at this place 31 years ago. As permanent resident, there is Thomas (56), Polly (32), Lucien (23), Louise (22), Hector aka "the blob" (2) and Patoche our little and smelly dog.

    The house has always been opened, and workaway is for the perfect way for us to carry on sharing nice work, in a nice place, with nice people!
    The old farm where we live is 4 kms away from the next little village. Lost in the forest and very calm. There is many little rivers flowing around and wild footpaths to explore.

    We are taking care of some non-commercial activities :
    - A permaculture Garden : Rised Beds, and a giant (120m2) Geodesic Greenhouse
    - An English associative pub (The Petticoat) only on Friday evening

    Here, we are mainly gardening, doing some wood work and there is a lot of side tasks we have to do (repair/build things, clean, cook, care about our little blob etc). The target now is sustainability for the place or at least decrease our consumption of energy (produce our own if possible) and being able to produce more food all over the year.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Charity Work
    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    General Maintenance
  • 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
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    You will be lost in the pine forest surrounded by wildlife, the daily feeling of sharing a place where, only two generations before, there was no machines.

    Then discover how we deal with it now, in the 21th century. What we choose to do here and there to adapt to the place, making life as nice as possible without destroying the living potential of it all, and as possible, make it grow !

    There will be technical points in what you will learn here, ideas about permaculture, woodwork but the most important is the people you will meet. We will always try to take two volunteers at the same time at least for you to not be alone or at least have a work partner.

    As I have been running a "Discovery Farm" during years I'm also able to give many information about the area, historic details about this very special french desert now planted with a forest and about the people trying to live there.

    And there's also the people, a bunch of friends around my farm, collected after 25 years spent at the same place. A gipsy stuntman driving a motorcycle in the Wall of Death around Europe, a couple living totally off grid, a baker...

    If you come here, you will also be connected to a recycling second hand shop that I'm taking care of. This charity place gives jobs to 13 people, you can find there all you need (cloths, bicycles, furniture...) for very cheap prices. As I build this activity 15 years ago, you will be at the good place to learn about how it's works.

    I don't know how to end this....may this place is just something that will surprise you, as it surprise me for a while!

  • Projects involving children

    Projects involving children

    This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

  • Help

    Help

    I was used to welcome from 2 to 4 people at the same time, to have an independent and friendly team.

    Right now the task we have to do during the next month are:
    - build a new barn for the new sawmill
    - renovate and expand an old barn to welcome new chickens
    - care about the garden (maintenance, cleaning, soils preparation etc.)
    - plant some fruit tree
    - renovate an ancient and beautiful house

    Sometimes, a visitor choose himself something to do here (save this tree, carrying this wood, repairing this wall) without any push from anyone here, this is very cool. I don't mean I will not give any task or direction, and most of the time we are doing it. But when someone feel concerned, it's really the best way.

    We are harvesting knowledge around permaculture, and we would be glad to welcome someone with those skills.

    We only accept a minimum stay of two weeks, less is not really enough for both of us (workawayer and host) to know each other, appreciate the place and the people.
    And please, think twice before validate a stay, because a great number of person changes their mind at the last moment, and it really doesn't help or even respect the minimum of organisation we need!!

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    French: Fluent
    Spanish: Beginner

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    The visitors will have they own bed in a shared house with my children (Louise 21, Lucien 22). In the summer we also have a caravan with a 2 to 4 people capacity. We can definitely share meal as we can eat separately sometime.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Sorry for this, but our friends cats and dogs are not allowed here, it's not negociable: we're fitted with a large wild life around!

    Fifteen minutes from here, one of my friends runs a little rootsy surf school in a wild place...just to say :)

    Location is between Bayonne and Bordeaux.
    The train station next to here is Morcenx, beach at 20 kms (40min by bike).

  • 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

    The path to reach the farm is sandy and narrow, and will be tricky for a wide or heavy vehicule.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    25 hours max :)

Host ref number: 894268719677

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