Help us make improvements to the land and Relax, recharge and enjoy the countryside and wildlife in Normandy, France.

Infos

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  Description

  Nathalie and I have a small 12ha farm on the Calvados/Manche border in Normandy, France. She's Dutch and I'm British, we have four horses, three dogs and a cat. Nathalie splits her time between teaching English (both at a language school in Holland and online), making jewellery, being a professional photographer, drawing and painting and enjoying her horses. Whilst I look after the land, maintenance of the houses (we have two plus the shell of a third), and part time working. We are currently working towards the improvement of the whole of the property, getting our second house ready as gite, removing old and ingrown barbed wire fences, clearing brambles, bracken and other invasive plants from the land, building new and repairing the existing buildings. We've lived here for five years, and every day we thank the universe and our hard earned luck for bringing us to this little piece of heaven. It's 25 minutes from the nearest beach, 5 minutes from the nearest small town St Sever - Calvados, 40 minutes from Mont St Michel and 3 hours from Paris. We live in rolling countryside that is both farmed and wooded, in a very small hamlet so we're quite isolated. It's simply quite beautiful, peaceful and really rather special. Our horses live out, they have an open barn for shelter if they want it otherwise they make good use of the many mature trees and hedges. The land is hilly in places, so they get good exercise without the need to try. We have a small stream at the bottom of our land, which you can hear in the background, along with a good mix of wildlife. We farm organically, and make hay for the horses and to sell. There are many interesting towns in fairly close proximity, Villedieu-les-Poêles, which is famous for its bell foundry and copper manufacturing and now it supports artisans of all sorts. Vire, the local administrative centre, Mortain, with it's 1000 year old abbey, built by William the Conqueror. The Normandy Landing Beaches are only an hour to the North as is Caen, the capital of Normandy region. We are only 1.5 kilometres from the forest of St Sever, which is quite extensive, has a lake, Hermitage, nature reserve, and the reservoir which is the source of the river Sienne ( not to be confused with the Seine which runs through Paris). There is also a small bar a brief walk away, and the local people as you expect are very friendly and engaging.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Aide dans une ferme

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  Anybody who chooses to join us here will find a space to relax, recharge themselves, enjoy the countryside and wildlife, have the opportunity to delve into the medieval and more recent history of the region. Enjoy the culture of the country and the local areas. All of the above having had a massive impact on Europe and the world over time. You be able to stay with us in our home or the gite house depending on the given time of year. I'm willing to show you possible new skills to you when we work together, although I'm hoping that you will bring some with you.

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  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

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  Aide

  The property had not been cared for by the previous owners, so it's now on our shoulders but to to give it the love and reparations it requires. Along with putting our own stamp on it to suit our needs but sympathetically. So we're looking for help with all of that,, be it removing fences, strimming, helping prune the hedges, get on top of the vegetable patch which has fallen by the wayside this year. Also with the work on the two houses, preparing for a painting inside and the woodwork outside, plus maybe a little carpentry such as repairing the windows. We also have to repair the roofs on two existing barns as well as build two new one (one a pole barn, the other a lean to). We also need to replace the gates, repair the fences and make and get in the hay. When Nathalie is in Holland, I also need help looking after the horses on the days that I work. Depending on the time of the year this could include the mucking out and pooh picking the fields. The help required would depend upon timing, the weather and the current project at the time of your visit.

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  Langues parlées

  Anglais: Courant
  Français: Courant
  Hollandais: Courant

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  Hébergement

  We can offer you a room in our home with us. Or if there's more than one of you, or if it's preferred, you can stay in the gite house. This is an old farm house with exposed beams, two bedrooms and bathrooms. We have reasonable wifi for rural France so you'd obviously have access to that too. Food would be provided too, with meals taken with us.

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  Autres infos...

  We are close to good rail and ferry links, also Rennes, Carpiquet and Deauville airports are not that away. So if you don't have your own transport we can collect and deliver you from and to them. We have a couple of bicycles that can be made available, plus I can also offer to help you with visits to local tourist destinations, although a contribution towards fuel costs maybe necessary. There are many places of interest be it local museums, international destinations, walks and forests. There are also local fetes and festivals plus the beaches to the the North and West of us to visit. You would obviously be welcome to join us on our excursions and visits to the local towns and supermarkets as we make them.

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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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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Nombre d'heures attendues

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week