Gran Bretaña
282 “me gusta”
In a beautiful rural location in Dartmoor National Park in Devon in the South West of England, our ten-acre property includes a small orchard, walled vegetable garden, shrubbery and hillside running down to the River Teign. From the gardens there are lovely views of the nearby town of Chagford and the moors beyond.
We are currently specifically looking for Workawayers for 10 days from 12th August. We are keen to host people with an interest in gardens and gardening. This is an opportunity to learn more about gardens and the natural world.
We moved here five years ago and are gradually developing this to be a more sustainable and productive garden/ smallholding that integrates with the Victorian garden first set out in the 1870s. There are some fabulous mature trees here including Cedars and Redwoods.
Currently we are learning more about no dig, mulching and permaculture and using its principles to guide what we do. Our aim is to increase the diversity of wildlife and bird life here and to maintain a rich and resilient ecosystem. We have solar panels to reduce electricity costs. Our water is from a bore hole and so has no chlorine or other additives.
We are both academics in our 50/60s and work at the University of Exeter (60% time) . This gives us some time to develop and restore the garden but we are keen to have more help. There is a good library of books here for volunteers who want to learn more about local history and the natural world. We have some paid garden help but it's great to have workawayers to help us with clearing paths, weeding, making compost.
There are lots of outdoor projects to get involved with and volunteers need to have plenty of energy and enthusiasm and be prepared to work with us in the rain as well as the sunshine.
Lots of opportunities to walk from the door, up onto the Moor and along the River Teign.
Ayuda en proyectos ecológicos
Jardinería
Cuidado de animales
Cocinar para toda la familia
Mantenimiento general
This is a great opportunity to learn more about the natural world, growing delicious food and helping alongside us to restore parts of the historic gardens.
There are lots of opportunities for walking from the house, either through the wooded Teign valley or up onto the moors which have stone circles and other pre-historic constructions. This is a rural retreat with opportunities for bird watching and getting closer to nature.
This will appeal to people who like to do tasks outdoors and then sit round a camp fire together in the evening listening for owls and watching the bats. The bird life here is very varied and there are opportunities to improve your bird identification skills.
We are looking for help with cultivating the land, improving the soil, growing vegetables, looking after the friendly hens and quail, splitting logs and stacking wood, and gradually restoring the historic gardens. In the summer and autumn help is also needed with harvesting fruit and vegetables and making preserves for the winter.
We are trying to create more traditional meadow pasture with lots of wild flowers, and aim to eradicate the Himalayan balsam that dominated the hillside when we first moved in, so during the summer pulling out Himalayan balsam is a satisfying team activity- we've just about conquered it now!
There are some lovely streams and waterfalls running down the hillside - we are doing work to manage these and build basic bridges to create interesting walkways through the land and down by the river.
Volunteers need to have plenty of energy and enthusiasm and be prepared to work with us in the rain as well as the sunshine. Anyone with woodworking skills is particularly welcome. We hope that volunteers will share our love of home-grown healthy fresh food and will help with the cooking and sharing new recipes.
As we have three double rooms available we are particularly interested in hearing from couples who want to volunteer with us and older/experienced workawayers are encouraged.
Idiomas hablados
Francés: Principiante
Este anfitrión ofrece intercambio de idiomas
I speak very basic French and very little German, Italian and Spanish but am always interested to learn and improve
We have three comfortable double bedrooms available for volunteers (one en suite). We grow a lot of our own vegetables, bake most of our own bread and aim to eat seasonally. Most of our meat is sourced from local smallholders and farmers. We generally eat a light lunch and like to sit down for a relaxed meal in the evening. This would be the time for us to chat to Workawayers and learn more about each other. We are not vegetarian but regularly eat vegetarian food.
This is a rural location, very quiet and peaceful - ideal for volunteers who want to get away from the stresses of city life and have a chance to glance a badger in the twilight or disturb deer in the orchard.
Chagford is a lovely small town just 20 minutes walk away with good cafes, pubs, and shops. In the summer there is a great open air solar-heated swimming pool. On some days when we are going to work at the University, we can also offer lifts into Exeter (20 miles away) which has all the facilities of a small City including the historic Cathedral.
Public transport here is limited and we are happy to pick up volunteers from Exeter Station and help them to plan an onward journey. There are also some great opportunities for workaways in Cornwall, and this would be good stopping off point if you want to spend a week or so with us and then head further west.
Volunteers will be welcomed to live and work with us as one of the family. We aim to create a welcoming atmosphere that not only tolerates but celebrates diversity and hope that all volunteers with us will share these values.
Acceso a Internet
Acceso a Internet limitado
Tenemos animales
Somos fumadores
Puede alojar familias
We do have wifi here but it is not fast
Más de dos
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Son opciones de calificación adicionales para cuando los miembros dejan sus comentarios. Se muestra la calificación media dejada en cada opción.
Precisión del perfil:
(5.0)
Intercambio cultural:
(5.0)
Comunicación:
(5.0)
