Forestry maintenance in the foothills of Mulhacen, Spain

Infos

• 

  Description

  We live in a patch of south west facing Mediterranean mixed woodland, holm oak, olive, ash, poplar, willow, cherry, mulberry, walnut and wild plum, broom and gorse etc. Our aim is to create a small biodiverse farm within the forest edge. We are micro farming with guinea pigs, poultry, ducks, pigeons and hopefully soon, 3 or 4 sheep.
  
  Elevation here is at 1300 metres. Summers are generally very hot and dry, dusty and bright, although there is usually a respite in the evenings due to the presence of the cool running water in the surroundings. In winter when the sun is not shining it can be chilly, but mostly the days are clear and sunny with blue skies, at times quite hot in the sun.
  
  There are many impressive rock formations and old walking paths to explore. There are frogs in the pond, and lots of wild birds, such as vultures, song birds, golden orioles, and eagles. There are also wild boar, badgers, ibex, pine martins, weasels, water voles, and lizards, ghekkos and snakes.
  
  We practice vermiculture and have several ‘worm farms’ which we use for composting and for fertilising.
  
  We use the sun for generating electricity and hot water, and in winter we have a wood stove for heating and cooking.
  
  We made a solar drier which we use to dry fruits, tomatoes and mushrooms.
  
  The nearest village is a 5 minute drive away. There is not much there - a small badly stocked shop with a very nice shop keeper. There is a bank which opens once a week (it has an atm outside), a pharmacy. There's also a swimming pool that opens in the summer between July and August. Apart from that it’s just mountains and sky.
  
  It's a very rural area which is famous for its white washed Mountain Villages, and the ancient Moorish irrigation channels which still serve the villages to this day. Many villages have a little local photo museum, and bird watchers, rock climbers, star gazers and walkers will enjoy the area a great deal. Most of the surrounding villages are half empty and there is a large farming community, not very ‘touristy’ as some places are… Many villages have a food and clothing market twice a month as well as other fairs and events.

• 

  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général
• 

  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Politique/justice sociale

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Animaux de compagnie

  

  Ferme

  

  Culture

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Photographie

  

  Musique

  

  Histoire

  

  Jardinage

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Astronomie

  

  Art et design

  

  Nature
• 

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

  ...

  ...

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
• 

  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  Anyone who is interested in forestry work, minimal till organic gardening, tree and plant propagation, grafting fruit trees, and in living within the great wilderness would gain a valuable experience. We both have a fair amount of knowledge to share. I am experienced in painting and drawing, crochet, wine making, preserving foods, basic carpentry, silviculture, some horticulture and basic botany. I have taught English in the past and can help with improving your Spanish. My partner has all manner of useful and creative skills including wood working, welding, construction, plumbing, electric solar systems, eco buidling, forest management and water-colour painting. I can play guitar and mandolin and am up for jam sessions.

• 

  Aide

  We need strong, balanced, energetic and enthusiastic people to help us with moving rocks and mud from inside a ruin, and help on the land; cutting back brambles, digging out unwanted plants and putting fencing posts and digging the garden to plant. Every year we must clear a lot of brambles and dead branches from along the water channels and on the terrace banks. This is a fire prevention strategy to reduce combustible materials as much as we are able. The land has been abandoned for over 70 years, so we are still clearing the detritus to allow us to be able to graze the future sheep there and plant trees and fruit bushes on the terraces. We are also trying to clear the stream of the fallen debris and sticks, so we can actually observe the flow of the water, rather than just fallen branches, and so this is a good job all year round but especially in the summer as its cool and shady near the water. In the winter we sometimes have a bonfire to very carefully burn the piles of brambles, and prunings. We burn the smaller stuff, and keep the rest for firewood. This is done only ever on a calm windless day and with water at the ready. We take great care to do this safetly because there have been wild fires very close by, even in winter, so its of utmost importance to us to remain safe and hence we need sensible responsible people who can take clear instruction. We are also digging holes to plant trees, grape vines and hedges. We are also moving rocks and beams to restore a ruin.
  
  We are fortifying fences to prevent the wild boar from entering, and also erecting new fences as we expand. Removing ivy from the trees is another constant task that we need assistance with. Anyone who comes here must have at least one set of robust working clothes, ie. A set that they can get mucky and do not care if they get dirty and torn... We have a needle and thread if they need repairing, I can help show you how... I also have work clothes that I can lend. Practical footware like hiking or work boots are essential. We will provide work gloves and tools. We also have the task of finishing the grouting on our terrace, general help in the kitchen with the cleaning is expected if you are eating with us. Pick up a broom and clean your own dishes and we will be very happy. As a guideline we expect 4 hours of outdoors help, and approximately 1 hour in the house to help with domestic chores while, 5 days a week, but we won’t be counting the minutes.

• 

  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Espagnol: Intermédiaire
  Danish: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  I would like Danish people to come and help me with my Danish, especially conversation. I can help with Spanish and English.
• 

  Hébergement

  Small private Caravan in the shade of an oak tree, with 1 single bed or sofa and 1 small double bed. There is a vermiculture loo next to the house, about 100 meters from the caravan, and a shower or bath available in the house in the evenings. At the moment we only have rechargeable lights for use in the caravan and all the charging of phones must be done in the house. We suggest bringing a battery pack. There is no wifi access, so we suggest buying a local sim card and pay as you go - without contract; 10€ gives you 50gb and 300 minutes calling worldwide. We do not tend to have a timetable for when and what we eat and we hope that our guests can be a little flexible.
  
  We prefer non-smokers but will tolerate it if you’re respectful with the detritus left over from smoking. Living in a generally dry environment one has to be very careful about where one smokes and one must dispose of butts in an ashtray safely. The same goes for the gas heater in the caravan. People must be safe and sensible: only using the heater when you’re in the space, with the skylight open and turning it off properly before you go to sleep.
  
  We will go to the shops at least once a week and you can come with us if you want to. We prefer to eat breakfasts alone - it’s our quiet time. We like it when people are independent enough to sort out their own breakfasts. We will provide one main meal during the week and will try to accommodate special dietary requirements. You may have to sort yourself out on weekends so we can have a rest from the cooking and cleaning. We strongly encourage some independence when it comes to breakfasts, lunches and snacks only because Its difficult to cater to everybody's specific needs, and some people eat a LOT of food, and we are very busy too, so if you’re one of those people who eat a lot, it would be good for you to stock up on extra snacks so that you do not suffer, but we can provide oats and milk and a main meal as stated.

• 

  Autres infos...

  There are many old walking paths to enjoy and lots of bird watching to be had. Star gazers will enjoy the clear nights. There is a swimming pool in the nearby village open only in the summer and many local fiestas all year round, lots in the summer. There is a bus service twice a day between the villages to the city of Granada.

• 

  Informations complémentaires

  • 

    Accès Internet

  • 

    Accès Internet limité

  • 

    Nous avons des animaux

  • 

    Nous sommes fumeurs

  • 

    Familles bienvenues

• 

  Espace pour garer des vans

  Cannot accommodate very large vehicles, but generally for campervan sized vehicles there is parking and access to drinking water and toilet facilities a small walk away from the parking.

• 

  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

• 

  Mes animaux

Sécurité du site

Discutez avec des workawayers qui ont séjourné chez cet hôte

Feedback (3)