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Description
An amazing colombage (timbered) house and an outbuilding with five bedrooms and cosy rooms, a vast barn, a stream, a plunge pool, fresh spring water and a constant show of wildlife.
Note: Travel restrictions vary greatly - please check the rules for where you are travelling from in advance of making contact.
We need a team to help us with the forest garden, with the vegetable garden, with all this years projects! Do get in touch if you are thinking of coming and we'll arrange a video chat. Any questions please do send us a message.
2021 will see a new way of organising things. We'll looking for people to join us at the beginning of most months, for a period of 2 or 3 weeks. There will likely be fixed dates on which we will be able to collect and drop-off people at a train station, most likely in L'Aigle, which is reachable from Paris Montparnassee Vaugirard.
The estate nestles in a hectare of land in a small valley in the ancient and beautiful landscape of the Pays d’Auge in Lower Normandy, France. An hour from the channel coast and ports, two hours from Paris by train and car.
We are right by an espace naturel, the Coteaux Champ-Genets, known as one of the most important protected natural areas in Normandy, with 15 kinds of orchid, gentian, plus horses sheep and goats.
With so much land and garden there is always lots to be done, daily and weekly tasks plus smaller and bigger projects. Most work is outdoors and there are some indoor things to do too, including fermenting and other food work as well as day to day looking after the living spaces.
This year we have been developing the forest garden with lots of fruit and tree planting - there will be lots of soft fruit in the Summer. The vegetable beds have also increased and will need attention throughout the Summer months - 2020 was a very difficult year for vegetable crops, due to several period of intense heat - 2021 will see some adaptations to increased temperatures. .
We have loved hosting people through workaway and we are happy to chat about what is needed at the moment, and projects for next year too. We always arrange a Skype call with whoever is thinking about coming here, so do get in touch!
We sometimes need some special jobs and would always love to hear from people with carpentry, masonry, building skills.
From time to time we look after goats and sheep who need some extra care, for the people who run the protected hillside.
It is a quiet idyll here, and away from town noise and light.
Please note there is also a gite on site so there will be paying guests around the property from April to September.
We are looking for around 4-5 people in any given month.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Travellers have the chance to learn about life on a hectare of land, which is aiming towards sustainability. You can learn about growing veg, developing the land, breadmaking, preserving and fermenting. We offer a place for quiet reflection in a peaceful setting.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We are looking for people who enjoy the quiet countryside and are willing to do what needs to be done to continue creating this beautiful space for nature and people.
Minimum two weeks, maximum 6 months. Our preference is for people to stay for three weeks as that gives good time to get to know how things work here.
Projects include:
Planting out the vegetable garden.
Planting trees and bushes.
Looking after the gardens generally.
Creating seats around the gardens.
Tending to and creating compost.
Making jams and jellies.
Fermenting projects, including vegetables such as cabbage and potato, and drinks such as ginger beer, apple juice and tea. We also make our own Apple Cider Vinegar.
We regularly make yoghourt and bread.
Late in the year we take ours and neighbours apples to a travelling pressoir and leave with many litres of juice.
Larger projects may include:
Resetting the paved area around the plunge pool (which is a little broken right now).
Re-digging drainage channels and diverting spring-water.
Painting the cabin over the stream.
The caravan still needs refurbishing :).
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Finnish: Fluent
German: Intermediate
French: Intermediate
Sami: Intermediate
Swedish: Intermediate
Accommodation
There are a range of places to stay in the Summer, including 3 rooms with 2 single beds in each one. This year we are likely to host between 2 and 5 people at a time.
Kitchen and living room space is shared. Three meals a day are provided. Meal preparation is shared by everyone staying here, so expect to experience a range of cuisines, from as many places as there are Workaway people!
What else ...
The small towns of Vimoutiers and Gace are 10 minutes by car, approx. 45 minutes by bike and 2 hours to walk. There are four bikes available for use (and an amazing countryside to explore) and there are occaisional trips to the boulangerie and local markets.
From Paris we are circa 1 1/2 hours to L'Aigle. About two and a half hours from Paris by car; two hours from Dieppe.
We provide directions to get here and can sometimes collect people from stations etc - we can talk about this when we make arrangements with you.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
If you want to bring a pet please check this out with us in advance, we have four cats and sometimes other creatures too.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
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We stayed there for a month and every day we achieved and learned something new. While working we could hear the cows and feel the country life.
We can now cook, bake bread and above all cut bushes! ;)
Thanks to Jonathan for the food, the nice room and for the wonderful time!
Wish you the best
Zoë & Gabriel
We were hosted by Jonathan in his home for about a month, in his place which is similar to a corner of paradise!
All around is green, luxuriant, smells of earth, there is harmony and peace in this magical place. If you are looking for silence and serenity, this is a fantastic place!
We worked a lot in the garden, cutting the grass,… read more
I had a wonderful time at the Mila,Jonathan&James's home. My tasks were some house work and some help with weeding in the garden, picking apples, potatoes, wallnuts, and caring to lovely James, it not was planing into my taks before my arrival, but I was my pleasure did that.… read more
I am really grateful for the opportunity to live in such a beautiful place with such beautiful people - hosts and other workawayers. It was actually a start of my 3-months travel and I am so happy… read more
There are a lot of work to do in his big house. The days I spent there I did… read more
Work is never too hard and it can variate from embroidery to gardening, so you can never get bored
We suggest that place as the place for your… read more
Before my arrival, Jonathan and Mila were responsive for all my messages and also punctual for the pick up.
The environment is just amazing. So much green and the colorful plants. Also the 3 adorable caaaats! I took so many amazing photos that I am gonna cherish forever. And… read more
here… read more
I was travelling with my friend. We had a cozy shared room… read more
The work was mostly about cleaning and a bit of gardening. Doing it… read more
