Información de perfil
Evaluación del anfitrión
80 %
Last replied
17 nov 2024
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72.7 %
Usually responds ≤ 7 dias
Comentarios
68
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Detalles
Descripción
We're a family of four living in a small stone casita on an 8 acre piece of land in Catalonia. Our aim is to establish a self-sufficient homestead while farming almonds and olives using agroforestry, regenerative agriculture and permaculture practices. We're interested in growing food for ourselves and others whilst building soil and healing the land. We're trying to live as simply and sustainably as we can and unlearn some of our 'civilised' habits.
We're a sociable bunch and enjoy conversation, good food/drink and musical happenings.
Before we came to settle here seven years ago we 'unschooled' our boys and spent a year driving around the Mediterranean in a big Hymer motorhome.
I (Selina) am studying for a four year diploma in professional herbalism and aim to grow an extensive herb garden and hopefully practice as a medical herbalist in the years to come.
I have a deep passion for nurturing our connections to land and life and hope to continue to share and deepen that love.
Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje
Práctica de idiomas
Ayuda en proyectos ecológicos
Jardinería
Construcción y bricolaje
Cuidado de animales
Ayuda en una granja
Cuidado de niños y juegos creativos
Cocinar para toda la familia
Ayuda doméstica
Mantenimiento general
Objetivos de sostenibilidad de las NU que intenta conseguir este anfitrión
Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje
We're happy to share all our learning up to date on permaculture and regenerative agriculture practices as well as any other knowledge we've gained by travelling and living in the Catalunyan countryside. Helpers will get a feel for 'life on the land' and how regenerative agriculture and permaculture can be part of the solution for a changing climate. We're a British family but our teenagers speak fluent Catalan and the adults get by with cobbled together Spanish and Catalan. We enjoy discussions, communal meals and occasional music-making.
I (Selina) am in my second year of medical herbalism studies and may be able to offer some beginner knowledge for interested folks
This area of Catalonia offers much for lovers of the outdoors and our immediate surroundings are rural and very beautiful. There are opportunities for walking, cycling and kayaking amongst other things and there is lots of wildlife to enjoy. The river Ebro is famous for fishing.
The major cities of Reus, Tarragona, Tortosa and Barcelona are close enough to visit. There are beaches half an hour's drive away but these can be difficult to access without independent transport.
Our farm has panoramic mountain views and is in a quiet undisturbed spot, making it the perfect place to focus on painting, writing and yoga or any other pursuit that requires a certain amount of peace and beauty!
Proyectos con niños
En este proyecto podría haber niños. Para obtener más información, consulta nuestras directrices y consejos aquí.
Ayuda
We like all kinds of helpers and we need all kinds of different help! From moving sheep fencing to dog walking, shovelling manure to dry stone wall repair and everything in between.
This year, we're open to hosting people for longer or shorter lengths of time. We feel we'd be an ideal place for couples or groups of friends with an interest in setting up their own projects/homesteads to really get a good grounding in the realities, challenges and joys of taking on land, animals and a simpler-not-necessarily-easier way of life. As Rob and I are busy with online work and study we're really looking for people that are able to be self-sufficient and resilient.
We have vegetable gardens, young fruit trees, olive trees, almond trees, 3 sheep, 7 chickens, 1 dog, 3 goats and two sons. All of this demands our time and attention and we appreciate help with all of it, although tasks do change throughout the seasons.
We're essentially a regenerative homestead and there are many unglamorous daily tasks that we look for assistance with as well as occasional building projects and our main harvests in Mid-August/Sept and the end of October to the middle of November.
The work is generally pretty physical, so we appreciate volunteers who are not scared to get stuck in and can accept that our set-up is not one that offers much luxury! Particular skills/knowledge that we could use at the moment
- Gardening knowledge and experience. Weeding, planting, pruning, putting in irrigation, a vigilance for spotting problems with the plants
- Tree maintenence. Pruning using hand saws, secateurs, or loppers.
- Dry stone walling skills or experience of having built/rebuilt dry stone wall under the instruction of someone else
- Timber frame construction (doesn't have to be anything fancy but some experience with knowing how to put up simple structures)
- Farm animal care. Helping with goat milking, feeding, watering, giving love but mainly understanding the importance of rotational/mob grazing of ruminants, and fully embracing the essential work of moving animal fences regularly (see Polyface farm and Joel Salatin)
- General land management; mowing, strimming etc
From mid-August we need any willing and able people for almond harvesting - No special skills or experience are required for this, but a sense of enthusiasm and fun is helpful as it is hot and sweaty work!
We're happy to hear from any potential volunteers whatever the level of skill and experience but an interest in and enthusiam for the kind of work we're doing here is essential. A good positive attitude and an ability to get on with tasks without supervision together with a sense of humour, a love of outdoor life and a genuine willingness to help restore our land and all the injured places of the world.
Idiomas
Idiomas hablados
Inglés: Fluido
Catalan: Principiante
Español: PrincipianteEste anfitrión ofrece intercambio de idiomas
Este anfitrión ha indicado que está interesado en compartir su idioma o aprender otro.
Ponte en contacto con él para obtener más información.
Alojamiento
We have a small and very basic caravan that is dry and has a woodburner. We're hoping that practical and creative volunteers can improve and make beautiful this little space. Other accommodation during the spring, summer and autumn months is under canvas. We have various tents of varying sizes so can usually accomodate most travelling permutations. It's worth pointing out that staying here is largely an outdoor experience. Toilets are outdoor compost loos and washing facilities are rudimentary and under the sky. The volunteer kitchen (that we also occasionally use) is also outdoors! It's a primitive way to live but there is a whole lot of satisfaction to be found in that - and no better way to fully connect with nature.
Algo más...
There is so much to do within a couple of hour's drive! From the Ebro Delta, to the bustle of Barcelona, this region is full of potential. Our nearest village has a couple of basic shops and several bars and is a couple of kilometres away. Our nearest towns, Mora d'ebre and Mora la nova are approximately 20 mins away as is our nearest railway station. There are two buses a day through the village to the town. You can reach a number of beaches within 30 mins by car.
Un poco más de información
Acceso a Internet
Acceso a Internet limitado
Tenemos animales
Somos fumadores
Puede alojar familias
Espacio para aparcar autocaravanas
We have plenty of space for caravans and campervans.
¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?
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Comentarios (34)
Selina and Rob are excellent hosts - they took great care of me while I was there, providing everything I needed and also cooking amazing lunches during the week! They were… read more
While she was with us, Barbara showed great determination and resolve with every task. I'm not sure that any of it came naturally or easily to her, but she gave everything her… read more
The place is magical; it was for me an open space to observe, the inner and outside world, to think, and to be on my own. And also, to be in touch with the Earth, which can be tiring but definitely satisfying.
I really… read more
It can be a strange experience coming to a Workaway placement; things are rarely as we expect them to be, and this is often the case when volunteers land here with us. It was clear that initially Valeria struggled to settle… read more
Monty, Eli, Rob and Selina received us with open arms. They were caring hosts who looked after us. Thoughtful, we shared interesting conversations. Laid back environment. Thanks for everything Rob.
We cleared some grass,… read more
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Comentarios
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Precisión del perfil:
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Intercambio cultural:
(4.8)
Comunicación:
(5.0)
Selina and Rob are excellent hosts - they took great care of me while I was there, providing everything I needed and also cooking amazing lunches during the week! They were… read more
While she was with us, Barbara showed great determination and resolve with every task. I'm not sure that any of it came naturally or easily to her, but she gave everything her… read more
The place is magical; it was for me an open space to observe, the inner and outside world, to think, and to be on my own. And also, to be in touch with the Earth, which can be tiring but definitely satisfying.
I really… read more
It can be a strange experience coming to a Workaway placement; things are rarely as we expect them to be, and this is often the case when volunteers land here with us. It was clear that initially Valeria struggled to settle… read more
Monty, Eli, Rob and Selina received us with open arms. They were caring hosts who looked after us. Thoughtful, we shared interesting conversations. Laid back environment. Thanks for everything Rob.
We cleared some grass,… read more
The location is magical; we stayed in a large tipee-style tent, with a kitchen, bathroom and other amenities, all outdoors. We loved this way of life for its connection with nature and the disconnection… read more
Always good natured, self sufficient and hard working, we came to really love this fun and genuine pair of friends. Initially we were a little worried by Bastien's 'enthusiasm' for tasks ; going at everything with perhaps slightly too much gusto to… read more
It was a chilly time of year but George took it in his stride and although he hadn't done a lot of the jobs before he came here he really got stuck into everything - changing over our almost no-dig veg beds, moving animal fences, strimming, processing prunings, and generally… read more
Conversations were open-hearted, thoughtful and fun and all interractions were easy and warm.
We never felt we had to worry about Marti and Ronja as they were entirely self-sufficient - using their considerable intelligence, instinct and good humour to… read more
They have a beautiful land where we helped taking care of beds, did some almonds harvest, helped with the goats and prepared for the olive harvest. They are such lovely, caring, interesting and funny people, it was really a pleasure spending time with this family and while writing… read more
We LOVED Thomas and Caspar - they are such wonderful, warm, likable chaps. Almost everyday we could hear them laughing and joking whilst they worked. They were always cheerful, always grateful, always enthusiastic. Just absolutely lovely.… read more
Unfortunately, we only stayed for a few weeks but that was enough to convince us to come back for sure!
We are very grateful to have met… read more
Lizzie and Wills are just awesome. If you have the opportunity to have these two in your lives - go for it!
Funny, warm, kind, trustworthy and ridiculously hard-working, they were an absolute pleasure to be around. They came along with us to the beach, to a party, to the pool! And were always engaged and… read more
Their animals are super sweet, Ezra… read more
We had a couple of volunteers here along with Michaela when we went away for a few days and they were a brilliant team - it was so wonderful to leave everything in… read more
The place is warm in summer but volunteers have dedicated spaces to hide from the sun and have chilling time, reading, sharing...
There are a lot of things to do and learn here, from restoration agriculture of olive and almond trees to irrigation in arid weather, animal care... and… read more
While we were away, Celestin cared for the goats, sheep,… read more
Selina and Rob were super welcoming and made me feel at home and comfortable from day 1. The work was varied and interesting, I was able to try so many different jobs and they guided me through it all as well as letting me follow my interests. I helped build the chicken fence,… read more
Given that Matt might have been one of the tidiest volunteers we've ever had (except for maybe Max!) I wasn't sure how he'd cope with our rough and ready homestead but Matt seemed to enjoy the experience and gave everything a go from chutney making and… read more
Initially Manon was here with another volunteer and they got on really well and were easy with each other. Later, two other volunteers arrived to help… read more
The finca is located beautifully up in… read more
From the start of our correspondence they were polite and enthusiastic and when we finally met, they continued to impress. Staying here in November is no easy feat and both Emmy and Sasha came down with colds whilst here… read more
Abi was happy to get involved with any tasks asked of her and whether harvesting almonds,… read more
I had to reschedule my arrival multiple times, but Selina was super receptive and open to my plans. I only… read more
From their very first messages to us they were super-polite and lovely and that continued throughout our communications and their stay here.
We've been so lucky this year to meet so many wonderful young people and Hannes and Laura are no exception - it really does help to feel more positive about the future when… read more
I learned something new every day and I am very… read more
For someone so young, Giulia has an incredible amount of resilience and a fantastic work ethic. It was so hot during here stay but she'd be up at the crack of dawn every day, just getting on with it.
As Giulia's English wasn't very… read more
This was not only my… read more
For a couple of days it seemed that i might have been right as I watched Dom battling to get… read more
I learned a lot about sustainable living, practically and “spiritually”; With Selina’s patience and trust, I have gained experience in permaculture and gardening while facing their perspective on what it means to live on a farm as expats, which was really… read more
I'm not sure whether Elise would agree but it seemed to me that Elise really was on a journey while she was with us. In our initial messages Elise had told me she had no real skills that… read more
From the offset I was made to feel incredibly welcomed by all the family. They are warm friendly people who can just as easily dive into the depths of what makes a person tick or shoot the breeze… read more
There was no task too sweaty or unpleasant, no conversation too gritty, no social occasion too intimidating for Luke to shy away from. The energy he brought to… read more
At the time Marit came another volunteer was already here and they got along perfectly - working side… read more
From the very beginning Sophie was utterly at home with living outdoors and being on the land. I felt that without knowing it, I had been needing another woman in love with the journey of learning to know and understand this lived on the land. The deep sense of calm and connection that… read more
As Emma had come to… read more
Whilst we were with them we helped… read more
Fun, hard-working, friendly, chatty, knowledgable, passionate and strong - very strong, workawayers. They re-built me a dry stone wall without any supervision, cajoling or even asking as I was a bit pre-occupied elsewhere. They didn't stop grafting ,they taught me stuff and they chainsawed stuff. Seriously excellent… read more
While they were volunteering at our farm they helped with moving animal fences, putting up a yurt, clearing beds and planting, sowing seeds, mowing and strimming grass, clearing water shoots from the base of olive trees and much much more! They also helped with the cooking once or twice, making some… read more
The work included collecting almonds… read more
We had so much fun with Patrik on our farm while he worked on helping to build our outdoor kitchen. We had other volunteers here at the same time and Patrik got along really well with everybody - including our two boys. I was particulalrly grateful for his being a fantastic role model for one of our… read more
Having studied environmental science and agroecology in… read more
Both JC and Mercedez are incredibly hard workers if given plenty of direction and things to do,… read more
They took on every task with… read more
The work is always varied, from pruning olive trees and working in the garden to moving sheep fences and stone wall repair. We also built a few shelves for the outside kitchen where Steve put his skills to the test and… read more
The farm is an amazing place, lots of land that is slowly but surely becoming a paradise in Ginestar from the work and effort they put into it. I have also learnt some permaculture knowledge and fundamentals… read more
