Help us with gardening and maintenance on our beautiful estate in the Dordogne, France

Details

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  Description

  We are Hans & Liesbeth from The Netherlands, aged end-seventies, living 50/50 in Amsterdam and in our house in Beynac-et-Cazenac, Dordogne region, France. The estate is in our family for over 60 years, and we take tremendous pride and pleasure in maintaining it in good order for ourselves and the next generations (3 daughters, 9 grandchildren) The property of 12 hectares(30 acres) lies just outside -but within walking distance of -Beynac village (500 inhabitants) officially rated as one of the "most beautiful villages" of France, in the famous Dordogne river valley. The main house dates originally from the 15th century -but modernized since- ,once belonged to the 12th.C Beynac castle. Adjacent to the main house there is a very cosy and comfortable ,fully equipped -separate- guest house, available for you. We have a swimming pool as well (may-oct) Early spring and late fall are generally the best times to be in Beynac and do work. In the typical French holiday season July and August, it may be too hot outdoors to do tasks (and too crowded in the area). The estate is ideally suited to have guests, and we love to have young people around. Usually, our guests enjoy to live at their own pace , but we will always be with you when working, and we have dinner together.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Beynac is in the "Golden Triangle" of the Dordogne province of France, an area with abundance of (pre)historic places, villages, castles ad caves (we have our own) -the 12th century Beynac Fortress is our neighbour-, local markets, and the stunning medieval town of Sarlat. We can tell you everything about the history of the area, prehistoric times and the "100 years war", that left so many castles and fortified towns around us. If you like hiking, there is a dense network of ancient footpaths, we know the area inside out and can guide you on hikes. And you can explore the Dordogne river by canoe ,or use our zodiac.

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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

  We have always done the maintenance of garden, land and house ourselves, with some help of a gardener. But we are ageing and sometimes lacking enough force and energy, the tasks never stop, and there's always need for small repairs and improvements. Unskilled help mostly, but you must be handy in general and love to be outdoors - in a spectacular setting. Preferably you have some agility in handling small machines -lawnmower,bushcutter etc. We have a fully equipped repair workshop in the house, Hans' professional background is in (aeronautical)engineering and physics, and he will be glad to teach you some new skills as you wish. He is an accomplished amateur artist as well and if you feel like sculpting, sketching or painting, you are welcome, we have all the materials.
  We have strong preference for two friends or a couple.

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  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Dutch: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  Fully-equipped, separate guest house with kitchen, 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.
  
  For food, there is a small shopping center in our own village, and supermarkets in St.Cyprien (8km) and Sarlat (10km)
  
  You will have lunch and supper with us in the main house, we will provide ingredients for breakfast in your own house.

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  What else ...

  electric bikes available
  swimming pool available (April-Sept)

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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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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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