Help on a small holding in the Mediterranean Pyrenees, France

Infos

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  Description

  We generally require help from the begining of April into October each year. This includes general maintenance, gardening, cleaning, cooking ... language exchange (French, Spanish, German, Farsi).
  
  Musicians, linguists and anyone willing to share a laugh ... We are looking for people who especially enjoy rural life and a variety of tasks rather than specialists in any one area.
  
  Though DIY, maintenance and gardening knowledge is an advantage.
  
  Singles or couples are welcome.
  
  To see more about work and accommodation, see the 'Help' and 'Accommodation' sections lower down.
  
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  We live in the mountains at the foot of Mount Canigou, 1hr from the Mediterranean on the French-Spanish border, in a truly beautiful wild setting. We are approximately 2 hrs north of Barcelona, and 1 hr south-west of Perpignan. We have a large old farmhouse with several outbuildings, a swimming pool and 20+ acres of land, forest and river.
  
  And we've no neighbours to see or hear!
  
  We have a small rustic campsite, with two 16m2 bell tents on wooden platforms in a forest near the stream : there is also a summer kitchen with hammocks and tents, an outside shower and dry toilet and large camp fire. This accommodates a maximum of 6 people in the summer months. Just friends, family and workawayers.
  
  We have solar hot water for three of our buildings and the main house. We use water from the stream, gravity-fed, and are installing a new storage tank with purification and filters. We heat almost entirely with our own wood.
  
  We used to grow our own vegetables, and plan to install a new polytunnel and raised beds in 2026-27. We were self sufficient for years (vegetables, eggs, wood, water etc). That's not currently the case.
  
  We plan get back to this, and to install our own hydro-electric generator next year, with water from one of the old aqueducts that once fed the land when it was an apple farm.
  
  We have chickens and sheep (only a couple left now), a Border Collie called Blue, cats and a pond with fish … and there is plenty of local wildlife in our forests: wild boar, roe deer, foxes, griffon vultures ...
  
  We also ran guided mountain walking holidays for small groups in May and October. We no longer do this, but know the routes and still enjoy them ourselves.
  
  We have lived in this southern-most region of France, overlooking the Spanish border, since 2005.
  
  My wife Ashley was a trained classical singer, but she passed in 2023 after 12 years fighting cancer from the age of only 34. So it's just me (Simon) and Sophia (my teenage daughter) now.
  
  Before Ashley passed we were pretty self-sufficient (eggs, meat, vegetables, wood etc). But in the last 6 years our flock of sheep has diminished and the vegetable garden is in total disarray : two projects that we aim to revitalise over the next two years. We are just finding balance again, on our beautiful peaceful mountain. 🙂
  
  I (Simon) am a lapsed anthropologist, who owned and ran an IT company in Edinburgh. I worked on WWOOF farmsteads in the mid 90s (WWOOF - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms).
  
  Sophia, my daughter, still lives at home and helps out with many tasks. She's studying A Levels online in French, Spanish, German and Politics.
  
  We love having down to earth, friendly, intelligent and multilingual guests!
  
  If you're light of heart, got a spring in your step, don't mind graft, happy to chip in and can lend a tune or spin a yarn ... Then come along!

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Enseignement

  Jardinage d'entretien

  Projets DIY créatifs

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Petits travaux d'entretien
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Culture

  

  Politique/justice sociale

  

  Vie en van

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Musique

  

  Langues

  

  Jardinage

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Livres

  

  Nature

  

  Danse

  

  Montagne

  

  Randonnée
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  You can improve your language skills. We are native English speakers.
  
  Simon speaks English, German, French and Spanish. Sophia speaks English and French. Sophia is also learning Spanish and German.
  
  You can learn about gardening, land management, fencing, maintenance, repairs, small building projects ...
  
  You'll experience a way of life that is quite different from how most modern urbanites live, and hopefully really enjoy it.
  
  So if you are a multi-lingual musician you are very welcome - especially fiddlers, guitarists and singers!

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  Aide

  After 20+ years there is a certain routine, although the actual tasks vary according to the season and weather, and no two weeks are exactly the same:
  
  SPRING
  During April, May and June - your help will include planting the vegetable garden, weeding, minor maintenance, painting, carpentry, small building projects, strimming fields, fencing repairs.
  
  SUMMER
  During July and August the work has no building element.
  
  Help with gardening, maintaining the pool area, cooking and general household tasks (cleaning, laundry). As well as language support for our daughter is required (helping maintain her French and improve her German and Spanish, if those are some of your languages).
  
  And fun with music and yoga?
  
  AUTUMN
  During September, October and November your help will include: making minor repairs, painting, small DIY projects, strimming, foresty clearing, field tidying and fencing repairs.
  
  As this is an exchange, any skills that you can pass onto us will be much appreciated!
  
  We are acquiring new ones all the time! Language - music?!
  
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  CURRENT PROJECTS (2026, 2027)
  (1) Re-establishing the 20 vegetable beds after they were destroyed by cows a few years ago and haven't been used since.
  
  (2) Improving the Glamping Site. This is purely for our use. That means us, you, and friends. It's an area to kick back, sit around the fire at night, hang in hammocks in the day, listen to the forest and steam ...
  
  (3) Re-establishing the extensive acacia post fencing so that we can have sheep back. These have been damaged since COVID, by numerous increasingly severe storms and ensuing treefall, as well as wildboar and neighbours' cows.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Allemand: Courant
  Anglais: Courant
  Français: Courant
  Espagnol: Intermédiaire
  Persian (Farsi): Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  I speak English, German, French and Spanish in order of fluency, and I'm learning Farsi. Looking for native speakers to help our daughter improve her French and learn German and Spanish. Farsi speakers welcome! 🙂
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  Hébergement

  During July and August you would have a room in the main house with us in the main season (July/August). Or in the Bell Tents in the private camping area during this period. These are on raised wooden platforms with 2x single beds in each. There's a covered platform for sitting and hammocks. And a rustic shower and dry toilet. This is only for workaway, ourselves and friends and has a campfire area. So it's a chilled peaceful atmosphere. We only use this from about end of June to mid September at the latest.
  
  Outside the main season, accommodation may be available in one of our self-contained apartments (gîtes) when not in use.
  
  Use of the gites is limited to the Pommier when it's not booked.

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  Autres infos...

  Having your own transport would be useful for your days off, but it is possible without, as we could drop you off when necessary. I tend to only drive down the valley a maximum of once a week.
  
  Public transport begins at Le Tech Village 6km from our farm, where buses will take you to Perpignan for 1 Euro. The next village (Montferrer) is 3km: a 15 minute bike ride.
  
  The coast is not far away (1hr) and there are many small towns to visit in the area (in Spain and France). There are also plenty of mountain walks.
  
  To truly take advantage of being in the mountains and so near to the Mediterranean, and of being so close to Spain (Figueras 1hr, Girona 1.5hrs, Barcelona 2hrs), having your own transport would be a bonus.
  
  Bikes of course are also a possibility!

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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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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  I've two internet connections now for reliability. One data modem router and one standard landline router. I work on Salesforce projects myself, so connection is imperative. I've a dedicated office and a be hot desk area in the main. Speeds aren't super fast but adequate for video meetings and working

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  Cet hôte a de la place pour les vans.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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  Mes animaux

  

  Blue (10 ans)

  Full of life. Can still run the pants off most dogs because he's super fit. 😂

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