Visit our off grid permaculture farm in the Alpujarras, Spain

Infos

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  Description

  *Our winter 2026 team is complete*
  
  We are a small farm perched on the Alpujarran mountains overlooking the Contraviesa winemaking region. We (Nina & Laura) bought the house and 2,6Ha property in June 2021 and live here with our very loving and energetic dogs, Frida & Tony, 3 very relaxed, independent cats and 5 chickens.
  
  When we bought the place, 8000m2 was planted with mature lavender bushes but as they were around 15 years old they were reaching the end of their life. In their place we have planted upwards of 100 trees and shrubs to provide food but also shade and protection from the wind. In the long term we would love to create a lush food forest, inviting life back into the sun baked soil. We also have quite a few mature fruit trees in the garden and the small orchard that produce many tasty snacks. Mulberry, apple, pear, cherry, apricot, quince, madroño, pomegranate, kaki and about 25 fig trees 20 almond trees and 15 olives spread out over the property.
  
  Our water comes from the springs of Trevelez, a beautiful area just north of us and is stored in a large communal alberca (reservoir). We are 100% solar powered and can do just about anything on the current system, just not all at the same time. All our toilets are dry composting and the grey water is re-used to irrigate the orchard and veggie garden. Because of this we, and anybody visiting us, can only use natural soaps and detergents and the least amount possible. We have a solar boiler for hot water which is backed up by a gas system so even if it gets cold in the winter, the shower will be hot! There is no central heating but the fireplace keeps the guesthouse nice and warm.
  
  Because of our remote location we play host to the occasional family of wild boars, foxes, mountain goats, grouse, rabbits and a wide variety of creepy crawlers and flying insects as well as the occasional snake and scorpion. They mostly mind their own business so not anything to worry about but please be mindful of this if you do have allergies. If you have any deadly allergies, food or otherwise, you might want to reconsider coming as the nearest hospital is 1,5 hours away and you might have to be flown there by helicopter.
  
  We both had careers in professional fine dining kitchens before moving out here but when balancing tiny leaves on tiny dishes for 15 hours a day got a bit old, we decided to ditch our chef whites and go follow our mutual dream of a permaculture farm in Spain. The love and passion for food has not changed, just the way we approach it. Food will always be an integral part of our lives and we are more than happy to share the knowledge. We pickle, ferment, bake, brew, forage and otherwise tinker a lot so feel free to join in and enjoy!
  
  Our diet is mostly vegetarian and dairy free but occasionally we will indulge in some local cheese and a bit of fish. We eat lots of fruit and vegetables and also forage for wild food on site and in the area when we can. We pop open a bottle of local natural wine or a few beers from time to time but its definitely not a daily thing.
  We can cater to most dietary needs or preferences but please let us know beforehand.
  
  We learn new things every day and hope to keep doing so forever!

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Aide dans une ferme

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Entretien général
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Événements/vie sociale

  

  LGBT+

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Animaux de compagnie

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Films et télé

  

  Ferme

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Musique

  

  Histoire

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Livres

  

  Art et design

  

  Photographie

  

  Langues

  

  Jardinage

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Écriture

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Astronomie

  

  Animaux

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Nature

  

  Camping

  

  Montagne

  

  Plage

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Randonnée

  

  Sports d'aventure
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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

  We hope to give back as much as you contribute. Before working in kitchens, we both ventured down many different paths. From journalism and yoga instructing to stage building, event production and hotel management, we've done a lot, collected a fair few skills and made enough mistakes to know we don't know everything and you can't do it all alone. We can teach you all we know and would love to learn from you and hear your story over a nice meal and share ours with you.

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  Aide

  Since we moved in we have renovated both houses, fancied up the pool and put down a stone patio, fixed the leaky reservoir, built a yurt with a private deck and outdoor bathroom, started a vegetable garden, did a lot landscaping in the big fields and around the house, transformed an old caravan into a tiny house, rebuilt the chicken coop and the garden shed, built a wood fired ceramics kiln and a wood fired bread oven, finished work on a feature/irrigation pond and lots lots more.
  
  This February and March we are focusing on some long overdue projects. Alongside the daily chores we would like some help with:
  - Prepping the land to plant a vineyard in the first week of march.
  - Building a sheep pen for 2 sheep and a donkey we will be getting this spring.
  - Building a fence around the whole property to keep the wild boar out.
  - Cutting a set of stairs into the slope for better access.
  
  Now and then we need to go to the city for a day or go away for the weekend and during those times, the animal care is left in the hands of the volunteers.
  
  Ideally we would like to host a couple or a set of friends. Preferably with some building/landscaping/farming experience but in the end, attitude and commitment are equally as important.
  
  We work around 5 hours a day, 5 days a week and take 2 days off. We usually take normal weekends but it may vary depending on weather. Breakfast is self service from the guesthouse kitchen that we keep stocked with all manner of breakfasty things. In the summer we start early (around 7AM) to beat the heat but in the winter we will be rising with the sun and starting at 9am.
  We all have lunch together around 2pm and have dinner between 7 and 8. The afternoons and evenings are for everybody to do whatever they want. :)

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Hollandais: Courant
  Allemand: Intermédiaire
  Espagnol: Intermédiaire

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il souhaitait faire partager sa propre langue ou en apprendre une nouvelle.
  Contactez-le pour en savoir plus.
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  Hébergement

  We have a guesthouse just 30m from the main house with two ensuite double bedrooms connected to a kitchen and living room with fireplace. We also have a 14ft yurt in the old orchard with a double bed (or 2 singles) private deck and outdoor shower and toilet. It has its own little wood stove that heats up the space very quickly.
  There is a swimming pool in the garden for cool summer swims or the odd winter ice bath ;)
  
  We have wifi connection in the main house that can be extended to the guesthouse living room but not to the bedrooms or the yurt. It's stable enough for most things but can be effected by rain storms or heavy clouds.

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  Autres infos...

  There is not much in the way of entertainment in the area but there is a nice little bar in Lobras that opens on the weekends. Cadiar is a 25 minute drive away and has a few shops, bars and all the essentials. It's a quiet life here and there is lots of time and space for hiking, yoga, foraging, reading, lounging by / swimming in the pool, tinkering and playing with the pizza oven. Being able to entertain yourself is very important.
  
  In terms of public transport, you can easily get the bus from Malaga or Granada to Torviscon, where we can pick you up.

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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

  If you prefer to park up your camper, we have enough space and you can use the facilities in the house. There is not much in the way of shaded parking yet so be mindful of that if you are coming in summer.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Mes animaux

  The chickens

  Shere Khan, Devendra and Ram Dass (4 ans)

  Frida (4 ans)

  Tony (4 ans)

Sécurité du site

Discutez avec des workawayers qui ont séjourné chez cet hôte

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