Spain
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Hi, there are three of us, myself Michael, my partner Marga, and our teenage daughter, and we own a +150-year-old former olive mill in a very small village in the south of the province of Valencia, around 25 kilometres west of Gandia/east of Xátiva and around 90 kilometres south of the city of Valencia.
As well as living in the house most of the time, our aim is to convert our extra space into accommodation for cyclists, walkers, climbers, etc., visiting the area: there are quite a lot of routes nearby and we are within riding distance of the world-famous cycling climbs of inland Alicante.
The village is very, very quiet, with one shop, a bar and a chemist, so ideally we are looking for people who either want to spend time in nature or who are looking for peace and quiet for their own projects. The next village is some 6 kilometres distant, and offers a much wider range of services.
The house itself is quite large, with some parts never having been previously used as living spaces, and has a garden and a vegetable garden. We have put in quite a lot of work so far to make it liveable, but there is still some way to go.
We are quite isolated, so it would be good for you if you had your own transport, although we can help you with moving about, and we will be happy to help you with information about local routes and trips, etc.
It really isn't a place for someone looking for nightlife and shops, I have to stress that from the start.
During the week I am here alone, and I am joined by Marga and our daughter at the weekends. We have two very loud, boisterous dogs in the house who tend to make a scandal at the drop of a hat. If you are familiar with dogs, you'll know that the scandal decreases exponentially as they become familiar with people. You really must take their presence into account when considering contacting us.
We are open to hosting both unskilled people, to help with painting, simple building, garden work, etc., and people with more specialized knowledge of building work and carpentry. There are always things to do, outside and inside, and we have stone walls, a tool shed, concrete floors, some electrical work, windows and doors, plastering, painting, etc., underway at any given time. We’re sure we’ll be able to find you things that you are comfortable with. We are open to both short and long stays, although this is probably an offer more suited to the latter, and we are able to accommodate single people and couples. We could perhaps accommodate more people, and perhaps even children: it's a question of consulting and working things out.
If you do come and stay, we would ask for around 4 hours work a day, either helping us out with whatever we currently have underway or taking on something on your own. We work on the principle of good faith and can be very flexible about hours and work - we'd like you to help us out and for you to enjoy your stay and see the area, so we will do our best to come to an arrangement that suits us all.
Helping out with meals would be appreciated, and especially if you can teach us new things as we are always looking to learn more about cooking.
The rest of the time, you are more than welcome, of course, to sit around and relax, do nothing, read a book, play your trumpet, or whatever else you feel like doing. As a professional translator and former language teacher, I can also help you with learning Spanish or English, if that's something you're looking for. If bicycles are your thing, I have a cycling blog with information about local routes and climbs, which I update when time permits. There is quite a lot of space in the house and you’re welcome to use it. There is a decent internet connection and space set aside for working, which you are also welcome to use.
If our offer sounds interesting to you, then feel free to contact us and we can discuss it further and in detail.
Language practice
Gardening
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
We are sure that travellers staying and helping at our home can benefit from the experience of living in a very small, traditional, agricultural Spanish village, from working with traditional materials such as stone and wood, from learning about the area's varied cultural history and from close contact with both the Spanish and Valencian languages.
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
English versión. Versión en español abajo.
There are many projects that we would like to carry out in our house and we are very keen learning the different techniques required to convert them into reality. Naturally, we would also appreciate a helping hand.
Inside the house we have some plastering, brickwork, floor laying, painting, stripping beams, etc., to do, while outside we have various projects that involve knocking down stones walls, building stone walls, building paths, clearing the garden, facing walls, pointing, removing rubble, painting, drilling things, carrying things from one point to another, etc.
We have a small vegetable garden that we extend each year as we learn more and which needs a little work from time to time. We carry out work ourselves, there are people in the village that lend a hand and we contract professionals, depending on the difficulty of task in question. There are always things to do, outside and inside, and we’re sure we’ll be able to find you things that you are comfortable with.
In general, we are very flexible. The house has a lot of possibilities and we are open to any ideas you may have about improvements.
Apart from help with our house, we'd also be interested in hearing from Workawayers who are able to share their knowledge of cooking.
Versión en español
Buscamos ayuda para trabajos dentro y fuera de la casa. Dentro tenemos algunas paredes para lucir, poner ladrillos de vidrio, poner baldosas en un suelo, pintar, etc. En la parte de fuera, estamos trabajando en los muros de piedra: algunos hay que derribarlos en parte, otros hay que construirlos nuevos y otros hay que arreglarlos: limpiar el cemento entre las piedras y rejuntarlo de nuevo. Además, estamos arreglando el jardín, necesitamos revestir y lucir paredes, quitar escombros, pintar, mover cosas de un sitio a otro, etc. Nuestra pequeña huerta se va ampliando cada temporada, a medida que vamos aprendiendo más cosas y también necesita algo de trabajo de vez en cuando. Normalmente los trabajos los hacemos nosotros. Hay gente en el pueblo que nos echa una mano a veces y, según la dificultad de lo que estamos haciendo, en ocasiones contratamos profesionales. Siempre hay algo que hacer, dentro y fuera de la casa, y seguro que encontraremos las tareas que mejor se adapten a lo que más os apetezca.
En general, somos muy flexibles. La casa tiene infinidad de posibilidades y estamos abiertos a escuchar nuevas ideas sobre cosas que se pueden hacer.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
This host offers a language exchange
As an extension of my own interest in the subject, I worked for many years as an English language teacher, and for many more as a translator and translation company manager. I would be happy to help Workawayers wishing to improve their English/Spanish skills.
We offer a separate bedroom with air-conditioning and lots of light and a shared bathroom and kitchen.
Disponemos de una habitación independiente con aire acondicionado y mucha luz. El baño y la cocina son compartidos.
There’s a very nice stables nearby the village where it’s possible to go horse-riding, and the surrounding mountains offer potholing, rock-climbing, mountain-biking, cycling and walking.
Inland Alicante, world famous as a preferred training area for professional and amatuer cyclists alike, can be reached within an hour by bike, and we'd be happy to provide you with information about routes, climbs, etc.
There are family and nudist beaches about a 25-minute drive away.
There is also a civil aerodrome, if you feel inclined to see the area from the air.
The cities of Gandia and Xativa are a 20-minute car journey away, and the city of Valencia is around an hour away by car, and around an hour and half combining a car ride with a train journey. If we are travelling to Valencia and you'd like to visit the city, we'd be happy to give you a lift.
NOTE*
As Workaway says, insurance is "boring but essential. Don‘t ignore it!"
If you're thinking of coming to stay in Spain, we recommend you check your insurance coverage before travelling. You can find more information on insurance coverage in the "Information" menu in this website.
Hay una hípica muy cerca del pueblo con establos, granja y restaurante, donde se puede dar una vuelta a caballo; en las montañas de alrededor se puede practicar espeleología, escalada, bicicleta de montaña y senderismo. A unos 25 km. en coche hay playas familiares y una nudista.
También hay cerca un aeródromo pequeño donde se puede contratar un vuelo para ver el paisaje desde el aire.
Las ciudades más grandes de Xátiva y Gandía, se encuentran a 20 minutos en coche, y a Valencia se llega más o menos en una hora en coche y en hora y media, combinando coche y tren. En alguno de nuestros viajes a Valencia, si os apetece, os podemos llevar a visitar la ciudad.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
We have a decent wifi-connection available and a dedicated work space in the house.
There is public space (water/no electricity) in the village in which the house is located, and there is space on land adjacent to the house, where electricity could be provided.
More than two
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