Restore a wild food forest on granite hillside in Ucon, France

Details

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  Description

  We're Sean and Clem — a South African-French couple who stumbled across
  Cassard during the Covid years while searching for a different way to live.
  Five years later, it's our full-time home. We work remotely in the design
  industry, our daughter Maddie spends her days buried in books, and Scruffy —
  our very enthusiastic Pyrenean Shepherd — considers herself co-owner of the
  whole property.
  
  We've been learning — hands-on, self-taught, and with great curiosity — ever
  since we arrived. We're not experts. We're people who fell in love with a wild
  piece of the Morvan and are genuinely committed to understanding it,
  restoring it, and making it abundant over time.
  
  We're bilingual English and French, and we love hosting people who share a
  curiosity about land, food, and slower living. Cassard is a real home and a
  real project — not a retreat or a business — and the people who come here tend
  to leave feeling like they were part of something, not just passing through.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  House & pet sitting
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  The exchange at Cassard is real but unhurried. Lunch is provided every day — prepared together and eaten at the table, either in the main house or outside when the weather allows. Once a week we sit down for dinner, which tends to turn into a proper conversation about the land, the project, life choices, whatever comes up. The rest of the evenings are yours — we're a family with a quiet rhythm and we think volunteers appreciate having their own space as much as we do.
  
  On the land, you'll learn by doing — food forest thinking, seasonal rhythms, practical permaculture in a real and imperfect setting. We don't pretend to be teachers, but we share everything we know and we're always learning alongside you.
  
  The Morvan itself is worth discovering. Friday mornings there's a local market. Weekends open up for walks in the park. Village life here has its own calendar — festivals, community dances, gatherings — and you're welcome to join us when we go.
  
  We're a South African-French household, bilingual in English and French, and the conversations tend to reflect that — two cultures, one project, a lot of curiosity about how to live differently.

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  Projects involving children

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

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  Help

  The help at Cassard falls into two main areas — land and building — and we try to match tasks to whoever is here.
  
  Land & food forest
  The heart of the project. Depending on the season, this includes planting and mulching around our fruit trees, clearing and maintaining paths, composting, firewood processing, and general food forest development. There's always something to do, and we'll explain the thinking behind each task so the work makes sense rather than just being labour.
  
  Building & renovation
  We have an old barn in the final stages of renovation into a family home — primarily finishing work, with a focus on woodworking. We're also preparing to build enclosures for ducks & chickens, which will be a satisfying project for anyone who likes working with their hands.
  
  We adapt to the people who come. If you have a particular skill — carpentry, gardening, permaculture knowledge, something else entirely — we'd rather put it to good use than stick rigidly to a list. And if you're a complete beginner, that's fine too: we're learners ourselves.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Afrikaans: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate
  French: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  Although my partner is a native French speaker, I could do with improving my French. I'm fluent in English and happy to exchange in learning another language.
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  Accommodation

  Volunteers stay in our little stone house — ancient, renovated, and full of character. At 48m², it's compact but genuinely comfortable. Downstairs: a fully equipped kitchen, a living area, and a lounge. Upstairs: a proper bedroom and an additional sleeping nook tucked into the combles. Heating by wood stove, cooking on gas. A sunny south-facing veranda to start the morning.
  
  The house sits on the same plot as ours, separated by a 60-tonne granite boulder that stopped rolling here a very long time ago. You'll have the place entirely to yourselves.
  
  The bathroom has a full bath and sink. The toilet is a dry toilet — outside, reached by a short path through the forest. Romantic in summer, bracing in winter. We think it's worth mentioning upfront.

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  What else ...

  Cassard is in deep rural Morvan — there is no local public transport, so a car is useful if you want to explore beyond the property. We can make one available if needed. The nearest town for day-to-day shopping is Étang-sur-Arroux. For more, Autun and Le Creusot are both within easy reach. Further afield, Dijon, Mâcon and the wider Burgundy region are worth a day
  trip.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We are both digital nomads working from home. We are working in the design industry working on creating memorable brands for our various clients. We have a fast (fibre) internet connection in the house that can be eventually extended to reach the traveller's accommodation (to be completed).

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  Can possibly accept pets

  We have a dog (a female Pyrenean shepherd), who is 5 years old and very social. She loves people and gets along with most other dogs with similar temperaments. If you think your dog fits this description it could work. Unfortunately, we don't allow cats. We have a rich wild bird population here which is incompatible with cats. Also, I'm allergic to most cats.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

  

  Scruffy (5 years)

  A very chilled Pyrénéen Shepard that has the best life.

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