Learn about the local way of life in SW Cork, Ireland

Infos

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  Description

  We are an active English speaking couple with a large garden, interest in growing some food, cooking and new ventures. We live between the villages of Ballydehob and Schull in SW Cork, Ireland. The area is quiet and very rocky and beautiful scenery surrounds us. We are near the sea and there is a beach and a small harbour nearby from which you can wild swim.
  
  We have a site of about 2 acres. We have an orchard of 35 trees from which we make cider, vinegar, chutneys and jellies and raised vegetable beds for our own use and we are new to growing our own so open to ideas.
  I garden but my husband does not. I am developing a previously untouched 2 acre site into fields and growing areas for fruit , veg and flower borders. We would love help to instal features and make it easier to manage....some wow factor to add to what we have and help in maintaining the garden. Any help in landscaping the grounds would be greatly appreciated. Our next project will be the maintenance of old stone walls, the maintenance of dead hedges and laid hedges.. the preparation of a base for a wooden cabin or polytunnel and the floor of an animal shelter. We have horses here a few times a year in the paddocks. We have lots of ideas so your skills would be welcomed into the mix.
  My husband, Geoff often has an ongoing project with an old vehicle and our July 2026 workaway has stripped a solex bike and rebuilt it.
  
  We have chickens and I have an idea to get them into a movable run in the orchard....fresh eggs daily.
  We sometimes have our daughters 3 dogs on site. All friendly collies.
  
  I was a teacher and my husband electrically trained then we jointly ran a business. He loves music, good food, vintage cars and provides t.l.c .to the machines and old cars we have.
  I cycle, cold water swim and generally keep fit. I help in a charity shop when needed and Geoff does some charitable work/ volunteering. We have good senses of humour, like to have a project on the go and like to be with people but not on top of them.
  
  We started " workawaying" in October 2020, then had a break from 2023. With our workaways, we have built a horse shelter, weeded the garden, fenced in a vegetable area, made large wooden planters for climbers, added to the field drainage, painted the floors of the barn, renovated the vegetable garden, serviced a vintage tractor, rebuilt a solex, made a new floor for a chicken coop, made a child's sand kitchen, mended an old wardrobe, planted 2,000 bulbs, built steps, made decorative artefacts for the garden, made and erected field gates, pruned the orchard trees, wood treated the barn, welded and mended farm machinery, made a trailer from scratch, built a retaining dry stone wall and planted a new wood copse. We have mostly worked alongside those that have stayed here and like to do that, if I can keep up the pace.
  
  We would expect that some knowledge of gardening [ weeding and maintenance of shrubs] and light building projects to be on offer from you [ the chicken run, maybe another Moongate or garden archway, some steps in garden slope areas ] and we welcome couples. This is not suitable for students, mainly wanting a travel opportunity and it is worth noting we live in a rural area 4 km from each of two villages, Schull and Ballydehob, those with their own transport will benefit from being able to explore and not feel too isolated.
  See note below about transport.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage d'entretien

  Projets DIY créatifs

  Petits travaux d'entretien
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Événements/vie sociale

  

  Vie en van

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Ferme

  

  Bénévolat

  

  Jardinage

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Livres

  

  Écriture

  

  Animaux

  

  Cyclisme

  

  Nature

  

  Fitness

  

  Camping
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  You will learn about the local way of life in Ireland especially if you get out and about. The area is steeped in history with stone tombs, ancient burial sites and local museums and extraordinarily beautiful scenery. The old grave yards provide many a story about the life locally from past times.
  The coast is nearby, half an hours walk or quicker on the bike and it is rugged interspersed with sandy areas. There are a lot of open water swimmers here who swim in the sea locally and there are local yoga \ pilates and dance groups .
  There are local pubs with regular music and probably the most diverse of these would be Levis's corner bar in Ballydehob. Underneath the relaxed exteriors are lots of busy people running enterprising businesses. There are local markets in Ballydehob, Schull in the summer, Skibbereen and Bantry.
  There are buses from Ballydehob to Killarney, Bantry, The Mizen, Skibbereen and the villages in between.

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  Aide

  Our next project will be the maintenance of an old stone wall. Help in the garden, weeding [ always plenty of weeding ], we have 10 tons of bark to move onto the garden areas and completion of fencing of the dead hedge variety, and possibly having a go at willow fences. We also want to construct some sort of pagoda or sun shade [ sail] attached to the house There are also plans to build some more steps in the garden and lay a floor in the animal shelter.
  There's always a new idea brewing! We have more plans than time.
  
  We can provide bicycle[s] for local use if that suits.
  We live outside a village, in a lane which has local walks from the house. We can drop you off in villages or in Skibbereen if we are going there but are not able to provide a taxi service.
  Maximum help a week would be 22 to 25 hours each person and the daily hours can be increased to get the tasks done in a more compact way [ ie over 4 days so that you have more time to explore the area.]
  
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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Français: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  We speak English and poor French
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  Hébergement

  A one bedroom cottage which is near the main house. Downstairs is an open plan living space, small kitchen, dining bar, comfortable seating, with wifi , tv and music. There is also a shower room . Upstairs is a bedroom with a bath that is placed to look up at the sky. It is heated, clean and modern. We can eat some meals together and\or you can have your own space. We will buy the food you need and either prepare some meals or let you do your own [ we really don't mind ] Your cupboards will be well stocked, we eat local fresh food when we can and we cook from raw ingredients. The cottage will hold 2 people comfortably. A friend has lived there for 2 years and loved it. You will be responsible for keeping your own living space clean and to leave it clean at the end of your stay.

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  Autres infos...

  We live in an area of outstanding beauty with walks and cycle rides on our doorstep. There are beaches and lanes and hilly areas to explore. The larger town of Skibbereen is about 25 mins away by car. This is a foodie heaven area with many artisan food providers. There is a bus service to Cork and to Killarney from Ballydehob or from Skibbereen and from there to other cities by train or bus. There are cafes / bars in both our nearby villages and more walks and lanes from each of them from which to enjoy fabulous coastal walks
  If you have transport you will be able to explore remote out of the way places and will get the best out of a wider area.You will also be able to come and go as you please in all weathers and will be able to make the most of the area.
  Our peninsula is the Mizen.
  There are infrequent daily [ twice or three times a day] buses to Cork City along the coast road so calling at villages and towns along the way. There are 3 bus services , Bus Eireran, West Cork Connect and Cork Local Link.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  We have a large driveway and parking area near the house and outbuildings.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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  Mes animaux

  hens

Sécurité du site

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