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Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks
Details
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Description
We are Karen and Toby, a couple living in a classic French farmhouse in a small hamlet with stunning views over the Giffre Valley. Our home is an old stone-and-wood farmhouse, and we share it with a lively multi-generational household: our youngest daughter (22) lives at home (though she travels regularly for work), our eldest daughter is 30, and she visits during holidays with her husband, and Karen’s 88-year-old mother also lives with us. Toby splits his time between here and the Middle East, so at times Karen is the main person on-site coordinating day-to-day life and projects.
We have 5,500 m² of land, including a vegetable patch and many fruit bushes and trees, plus fields parcelled off for our small flock of six sheep. We also have chickens, a dog, and two cats. The sheep are primarily kept for grazing and keeping the fields tidy, but we also raise lambs for meat. We want to be transparent about this: helpers do not need to take part in the processing (unless they are genuinely interested), but it is part of how our smallholding operates, so this environment may not be suitable for everyone.
This autumn (mid Sept to December), our focus is getting the garden ready for winter and improving our animal shelters—especially making our old chicken shed more weatherproof so it can be used for the sheep during the very wet months (we often get heavy rain and flooding). Alongside garden tasks, we also appreciate help with day-to-day animal care and moving the sheep as needed for their welfare.
We enjoy sharing a real slice of French mountain life: practical outdoor help, seasonal rhythms, local markets, and beautiful hikes. Karen is a Pilates teacher, and we’re happy to offer reduced-cost Pilates sessions to Workawayers who are interested. -
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Light gardening
Creative DIY projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
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Interests
Events & social
Sustainability
Self development
Farming
Culture
Pets
Plant care
Performing arts
Music
Gardening
Cooking & food
Books
Animals
Winter sports
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Dancing
Mountain
Hiking
Adventure sports -
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
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Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Hosting Workawayers for us is about much more than getting help with projects. We genuinely enjoy meeting people, sharing day-to-day life, and learning from each other. We live in the Giffre Valley in a small hamlet, and life here follows the seasons: gardening, preserving and using home produce, caring for animals, and making the most of the mountains and the outdoors.
How you can connect with us and the local area
We like sharing meals and chatting in the evenings, and we’re happy to include Workawayers in everyday life, trips to local markets, local events when they’re on, and simple outings in the area. There are also beautiful mountain walks and hikes nearby, and we’re always glad to share our favourite routes and viewpoints.
What we can share / what you can learn here
Workawayers can learn practical skills around seasonal gardening and winter preparation, basic animal care and smallholding routines, and how we organise and maintain a rural home through the wetter months. Karen is a Pilates teacher and can also offer reduced-cost Pilates sessions for anyone interested.
What we hope to learn from you
We love the exchange that comes from hosting people from different cultures, new ideas, different ways of doing things, recipes and food traditions, language practice, and fresh perspectives. We’re always curious to hear about where you’re from and what life is like there, and we hope you’ll feel comfortable sharing your culture with us too. -
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
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Help
For the autumn, mid-Sept through to early December we’re looking for practical, hands-on help to get our large garden and smallholding ready for winter, and to improve our animal shelters for the wet season. The help is varied and mostly outdoors, so it suits someone who enjoys being in nature, doesn’t mind getting muddy, and likes seeing clear progress each day.
We’re friendly and collaborative hosts, and we would be glad to show you how we do things, but we’re also looking for someone independent—the kind of person who doesn’t need constant direction, can notice what needs doing, and can get on with tasks confidently once they understand the basics.
We need help with Garden / winter preparation and with general help around the animal areas
Shed clearing + weatherproofing project
We also need help clearing out and improving our old chicken shed so it can be used for the sheep during heavy rain. The roof is fine, but water comes in through the walls, so the aim is to make it more weatherproof. Building or DIY experience is a plus, but not essential—if you’re practical and enjoy working things out together, we would willingly tackle it as a shared project and learn along the way.
We usually expect around 4–5 hours a day, 5 days a week, and we ask for a minimum stay of 2 weeks so we can have continuity and get into a good rhythm together. We like to help alongside Workawayers when possible, sharing skills, but you will have the opportunity to help independently once you’re settled, while Karen is doing her job teaching pilates. The farm is not a business, and everything we grow here is for our own consumption. -
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
We are native English speakers and have learned French since moving here in 2011. We would be glad to do language exchange in everyday life — you’re welcome to practise English with us, and we’d also love opportunities to practise more French. Our youngest daughter is bilingual and she (gently!) encourages us to speak more French at home. -
Accommodation
We offer a private room in our home, with a shower room next door, and access to the shared kitchen and living spaces.
Food
We provide food. However, workawayers will be expected to sometimes make their own lunches and dinners when Karen is out due to other commitments, or on their off days. For evening meals, we’re happy to cook and share dinner. We ask Workawayers to cook two evenings per week. If you have any food requirements that don't fit into the usual weekly shop, these can be worked out together. -
What else ...
Time off / things to do locally
On days off there are plenty of options if you enjoy the outdoors: the Giffre Valley is ideal for mountain walks and hikes, and we’re happy to suggest routes and viewpoints. Visiting local markets is also a favourite, and there are nearby towns and villages to explore.
Transport
A driving licence is needed. Public transport is limited in rural areas, and having a car (or being comfortable driving locally) makes it much easier to enjoy your time off and to run occasional errands.
House rules / how we live
- We prefer non-smokers.
- We’re a friendly, family home and appreciate a calm, respectful atmosphere (especially as Karen’s mother, aged 88, lives with us).
- We enjoy sharing meals and time together, but we also respect personal space and quiet time.
- We’re not a “perfect show-home” — this is a real working household, and the kitchen isn’t always spotless. We simply ask that everyone helps keep shared spaces reasonably clean and usable.
- We are happy to host couples as well as solo travellers (as long as the accommodation available suits).
- As mentioned elsewhere, we raise lambs for meat, so this environment may not be suitable for everyone. -
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
Digital nomads are welcome here. The help schedule is usually 4–5 hours a day, 5 days a week, and we can be flexible about the working hours to fit around remote work (for example, doing the help in the mornings and leaving afternoons free, or adjusting around calls when needed). We'd be happy to agree a routine together so you have predictable times for your online work. We’re also a family of global nomads ourselves — we’ve travelled and worked in different parts of the world — and we genuinely enjoy sharing stories, experiences, and recommendations with people who live and work internationally.
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How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
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My animals / pets
Lilo and Stitch (6 years)
Lilo and Stitch are brother and sister. They are fantastic farm cats, love the outdoors but are extremely friendly and love a good cuddle!
Murphy
Murphy is a brindle lurcher - a cross between a greyhound and bearded collie. He is 11 years old and extremely gentle and friendly. He can not be described as a guard dog as he would welcome anyone into the home.
