updated   Last minute

Be part of a beautiful project on eco-building and living off-grid in Sospel, the French Alps

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: at least 1 month

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    I am a cuban artist, loving sharing, art and people. I have a beautiful project that includes hosting artists's in residency, as well as guests in our cabin by the woods. I have a very creative world and I live in the midst of nature.
    I speak a few languages and I have travelled a little bit, so I love sharing my world and experiences with others. I have created an eco friendly space in the southern mountains of France, not far from the French Riviera.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Farmstay help
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    You will be helping with a cuban artist/glass sculptor/interior designer specialized in eco friendly building and refurbishing techniques, speaking four languages fluently (Spanish, English, French and Italian), who has lived in different european countries for the last 30 years.
    You would be learning a lot about living in an off-grid home the artist built herself, in almost complete autonomy. Everything about our home is original and most respectful of nature as a whole and specially humankind. It is situated in the middle on the mountains within the Sospel county, very close to the French Riviera and within the French Alps, with a wild as well as a preserved environment. Throughout the year we teach courses about creating our own detergent, soaps, all sorts of balms for natural cosmetics, natural jewellery, sculpture, painting, water cleaning by water plants, limestone stuccos for walls, weaven baskets and most of these is provided by our garden! You are of course invited to participate in our workshops for free!
    We often have parties at home going on with our friends and we also go hiking in the near Alps or to the beach for swimming and enjoying the sun, so you are very welcome to spend time with us other than work as well! ;-)


    Our town (Sospel) is very friendly and you will find anything you need within walking distance (25 minutes from home, no buses from/to home).
    There are regular buses and trains from Sospel to Menton (15km) and Nice (45km). Italy is neither far (10km).

  • Help

    Help

    Months needed :
    From May the 1st, for one month.
    From de beginning of September, until the end of October.

    We will be needing one or two workawayers travelling and sleeping together in a cabin, either on a double bed, or two separate ones.
    If you are interested in contribuiting to eco building, gardening in a permaculturel way and living in a self sustained space, this is the place for you!


    Hello to you all!

    We have created, together with other workawayers an eco friendly cabin for tourists, as well as for hosting artists in residence. We have finished the outdoor workshop made of palets, an outdoor clay and straw oven, an outdoor shower, the foundations of the future natural swimming pool, a wooden hut in the trees for kids, the eco friendly insulation of the main house, the beginning of the main house extension in hyperadobe and a permaculture kitchen garden.


    The main and daily tasks are maintenance, for exemple : collecting wood for winter, trimming the trees and bushes, creating new stairs in the garden, watering the orchard, as well as some cooking and cleaning.
    We will be ecobuilding the extension of our home with wood ; also building a primitive hut in the woods, with the hyperadobe technique. For this is needed a lot of carrying and displaying strength. Farm type of tasks! You might get tired at the beginning, but most of the workawayers enjoy the time off in the afternoons and evenings and the week ends and are very happy to live in nature and learn new skills (please read their comments).

    Strength and goodwill will be expected. (Rather « fragile natured » people, this is not for you! This is the wild and we have from every insect in creation, to wildbores, deer, wolves ...)

    In the option where you stay in the cabin we propose and you have your meals at our table, you will be helping 5 hours in the mornings, usually during the week and 5 days per week.
    Afternoons, evenings and week ends are off.

    If you are willing to come and stay in your van and deal with your own food, OR sleep in the tents we provide and live in the woods within our garden, provide your own food, we could negotiate your helping hours down to 20 per week.

    You will be very welcome to follow our workshops (if scheduled ) when you are off and this is not included in your helping time. People usually pay for learning and you will be very welcome to join for free, but this is not what I will be needing from you. Please, bear this in mind.


    **We would much prefer non smokers.

    *** ID and Visas as well as travel health insurance will be demanded before arrival for non EU travellers.



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  • Languages

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

    This host offers a language exchange
    I'd love to practice italian!!! Can share Spanish, French and English.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Option 1 : You have an artist's studio for shelter, you will sleep in a double bed within a mezzanine in this studio (if you are two but not a couple, keep this in mind, please)
    The shower is an outdoor one next to the studio. The toilets are outdoor also as well as dry toilets, and woodchips are used instead of water.
    The kitchen is within the house and we will be sharing it. We usually prepare meals together.

    Option 2 : If you are willing to come and stay in your van and deal with your own food, OR sleep in the tents we provide and live in the woods within our garden, provide your own food, we could negociate your working hours down to 20 per week, instead of 25. You will also have dry toilets and outdoor hot and cold shower, as weel as a kitchenette and a little fridge for yourselves. A tent for each of you is also possible.


    This place is within the county of Sospel, 500m altitude, not far from the Mediterranean sea (15km), buses and trains to take you about. Very close to Sospel (3km). During these months you will be sharing all meals with our familly, as well as enjoying accommodation, so we will expect 5 hours/help per day.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Our property is very close to the italian border (10km), as well as to Monaco (30km), the beach at the mediterranean sea (18km by bus), the city of Nice by train (45km) and its old city and museums, the Mercantour National Parc is only a breath away, where you'd be able to hike and do all kinds of sports, water sports are also very close (12 minutes by train).
    You'd be able to purchase fresh produce from the local farmers and market and take original souvenirs home from our local artists and creators.
    Our home is very small but the garden is quite a big property when it comes to space, we often have tourists around and mostly hikers or bikers, so you wont be alone and you would be able to share the garden and the facilities with other people.
    I can take you around for a hike if you wish, as I am part of a hiking club of the French Alps and I have a mountain guide diploma ;-)

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    Small vans are very welcome, but higher and bigger than that, wont be able to come to us.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    Two

Host ref number: 976517387222

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Photos

The image depicts three individuals working in a garden, with two people planting in raised beds and a third person standing behind them, surrounded by trees and a hillside.
The image depicts a woman with long brown hair, wearing a brown tank top, standing in front of a mountainous landscape with trees and a cloudy sky.
The image depicts a serene mountainous landscape with a prominent hollyhock plant in the foreground, set against a backdrop of lush greenery and a clear blue sky.
Two people are standing behind a table with a large mound of wet clay, wearing gloves and smiling at the camera in a garden setting.
The image shows two people building a wooden structure, possibly a cabin or shed, with tools and materials scattered around them on a sunny day.
The image depicts three individuals working on a project together, surrounded by natural scenery, with a focus on their collaborative effort and the serene environment.
Two people are working together to dig up dirt from a hole in the ground, with a wooden fence and greenery in the background.
The image depicts a serene outdoor dining setting, featuring a wooden table with a candlestick, wine glasses, and plates of food, surrounded by lush greenery and a stone wall.
The image depicts a plate of food, featuring a mix of green and brown items, with a white background. The arrangement of the items suggests a deliberate composition. The overall atmosphere is one of simplicity and clarity.
The image depicts three individuals standing on a rocky path, with one person in the foreground wearing a straw hat, set against a backdrop of a grassy field and large rocks.
A butterfly sits on a table, with its wings closed, in front of a green background. The butterfly is white with black spots and has a long, thin body. The background is a solid green color.
A person wearing gloves holds a plant with long green leaves and brown roots, standing in front of a corrugated metal fence in a garden.
The image depicts two women sitting on a wooden deck with a breathtaking mountainous landscape in the background, surrounded by chairs and various items.
The image depicts a woman taking a selfie in front of a mountainous landscape, with a serene blue sky and lush greenery surrounding her.

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